Hallescher FC vs Schalke 04 Predictions
Schalke begin their competitive season with a DFB-Pokal first-round contest against Regionalliga side Hallescher FC on Monday.
Miron Muslic's men have been involved in plenty of high-scoring summer fixtures, and a similar outcome seems likely this week.
An away win with over 2.5 goals scored should prove a profitable pick on Monday.
Schalke Backed for High-Scoring Cup Win
- Hallescher have seen over 2.5 goals in 6 of their last 9 matches
- Schalke won 10 of their last 14 matches
- Schalke have seen over 2.5 goals in 10 of their last 13 matches
First Meeting Between Hallescher and Schalke
Hallescher Make Slow Start to SeasonMonday's DFB Pokal contest marks the first-ever encounter between Hallescher and Schalke.
Hallescher Make Slow Start to Season
Hallescher FC come into Monday's contest after suffering their first league defeat of the season against VSG Altglienicke last week.
Soufian Benyamina’s late goal proved consolation only as Markus Schröder's side slipped to a 2-1 road reversal.
Halle began their Regionalliga campaign with three draws and one win before their defeat at VSG seven days ago. The hosts sit 10th in the Regionalliga Nordost with six points on the board.
Hallescher are usually a reliable choice for goal chasers. An average of 3.42 goals per game were scored in 21 matches completed since March.
Schalke Prepare for Bundesliga Return
Schalke travel to Halle following a demanding end to their pre-season programme. Muslic's men suffered successive 3-0 home defeats against European heavyweights Atalanta and Real Madrid.
Before those losses, the Royal Blues had won four successive friendlies.
Schalke impressed with high-scoring wins against Erzgebirge Aue (4-2), Metalist Kharkiv (2-0), Fagiano Okayama (3-1) and Hessen Kassel (5-0). Six of their seven summer warm-up fixtures finished with at least three goals scored.
The visitors enjoyed an excellent 2025/26 campaign, securing promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time since 20323.
On the road, each of Schalke’s last three competitive fixtures finished with over 2.5 goals scored.
Schalke wrapped up promotion with two matches to spare before finishing the season as 2. Bundesliga champions with 70 points.
Hallescher FC vs Schalke 04 Team News
Hallescher FC: (3-4-2-1) Luca Bendel; Felix Langhammer, Burim Halili, Niklas Landgraf; Marius Hauptmann, Niclas Stierlin, Max Kulke, Julien Damelang; Stanley Ratifo, Fabrice Hartmann; Soufian Benyamina
Hallescher FC have no major new injury concerns reported ahead of Monday's cup tie.
Stanley Ratifo, Fabrice Hartmann and Soufian Benyamina are likely to form a three-pronged attack for the Regionalliga outfit.
Schalke 04: (4-2-3-1) Loris Karius; Timo Becker, Nikola Katić, Hasan Kuruçay, Vitalie Becker; Ron Schallenberg, Dejan Ljubicic; Soufian El-Faouzi, Adil Aouchiche, Junior Adamu; Moussa Sylla
Head coach Muslic has a few injury concerns ahead of Monday’s DFB Pokal clash.
Schalke captain Kenan Karaman is ruled out after suffering a hip injury in the friendly defeat against Atalanta. Robin Gosens is another doubt with a thigh injury, while Junior Dina Ebimbe recently trained individually following an ankle problem.
Moussa Sylla should lead the attack in Karaman's absence.
Despite the 3-0 defeat, Muslic praised his side for their performance against Spanish giants Real Madrid last weekend.
“We defended against everything right until the end and cleared several promising chances for Real in one-on-ones,” Muslic said.
“Those are Schalke principles; that’s our motto: ‘Defend until the end.’ We were aggressive going forward and looked to win the ball back high up the pitch. Those are all characteristics that set us apart.”