Preview: Hallescher vs Schalke 04 - prediction, team news, lineups

As they prepare for their return to the Bundesliga, Schalke 04 will travel to Leuna-Chemie-Stadion on Monday, to face fourth-tier Hallescher in the opening round of the DFB-Pokal.

Chemie are looking for their first win in three games, while the Royal Blues are hoping to kick off their competitive calendar with a victory.

Match preview

Robert Schroder's Hallescher head into this cup tie as significant underdogs due to their lower-league status, but they have also made a lacklustre start to the 2026-27 campaign.

The Red and Whites finished fourth in the Regionalliga Nordost last term, and while the club will be keen to fight for promotion this season, they have only come out on top in one of their five matches so far - a 1-0 victory over Chemie Leipzig on August 5.

To make matters worse, Hallescher were downed 2-1 by Altglienicke last Sunday, a defeat that saw Soufian Benyamina's 84th-minute effort rendered a mere consolation.

Additionally, Schroder's side qualified for the first round of the DFB-Pokal by winning the Saxony-Anhalt Cup, beating Germania Halberstadt 4-0 on May 23, but they have been eliminated at this stage in each of the past three seasons.

However, fans searching for a positive to take from the current campaign to date would highlight that Monday's hosts have only been beaten once in 2026-27, and are yet to lose on home turf.

Meanwhile, Miron Muslic's Schalke secured promotion to the top flight after winning the 2.Bundesliga in 2025-26, and Monday's showdown will serve as the competitive curtain-raiser to what will be a crucial season overall.

Victory in the first round of the DFB-Pokal would give everyone at the club a confidence boost before their league opener against Augsburg next Sunday, especially after the poor end to the Royal Blues' summer friendly schedule.

Muslic's side began their pre-season with a 2-1 defeat against FC Gutersloh, before bouncing back with four consecutive wins, including a 5-0 thrashing of Kassel on August 1.

That being said, Schalke rounded off their preparations with a 3-0 loss against Serie A's Atalanta, as well as a 3-0 beating by Real Madrid last time out, two results that hint at the team's limitations when faced with high-level opposition.

Fortunately for the Royal Blues, who spent three years in the second division, they are up against a fourth-tier team on Monday, making them overwhelming favourites to progress.

Hallescher form (all competitions):

Schalke 04 friendlies form:

Team News

Hallescher will be without goalkeepers Sven Muller and Keno-Miguel Meyer, the former sidelined due to a cervical spine injury, and the latter after undergoing an operation on his finger.

In their absence, Luca Bendel looks set to start between the sticks on Monday, shielded by a back four of Felix Langhammer, Burim Halili, Niklas Landgraf and Julien Damelang, who may feature as an auxiliary left-back.

As for Schalke, they are lighter in attack than ideal for this clash, given that versatile forward Bryan Lasme is dealing with a calf injury, while Kenan Karaman is recovering from a hip injury.

Looking to fill the gaps, Muslic could opt for a trio of Junior Adamu, Eric Ebimbe and Adil Aouchiche behind striker Moussa Sylla.

Elsewhere, right-back Adrian Gantenbein is out with an ankle problem, though Timo Becker should be on hand to start alongside Mertcan Ayhan, Nikola Katic and Robin Gosens in the visitors' defence.

Hallescher possible starting lineup:

Bendel; Langhammer, Halili, Landgraf, Damelang; Hauptmann, Kulke, Stierlin; Benyamina, Hartmann, Ratifo

Schalke 04 possible starting lineup:

Karius; T Becker, Ayhan, Katic, Gosens; Schallenberg, El-Faouzi; Adamu, Ebimbe, Aouchiche; Sylla

We say: Hallescher 1-3 Schalke 04

Hallescher are the underdogs due to their fourth-tier status, and after a difficult start to the 2026-27 league season, it seems unlikely that they could muster the strength to best Schalke.

However, the hosts have only been beaten once so far this term, and the Royal Blues will need to maintain their focus in order to progress to the second round.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.