Muslic praises Schalke mentality ahead of Düsseldorf trip | OneFootball

More than 10,000 travelling fans are expected in the Merkur Spiel-Arena as Düsseldorf host Schalke on Friday evening. 

Speaking at his press conference ahead of the clash, Schalke head coach Miron Muslic believes that the travelling contingent from Gelsenkirchen will once again play a decisive role.

“The support is incredibly important for us. The fans are our twelfth man,” said Muslic, adding that the fanbase has recognised the positive direction taken at the Veltins Arena in recent months.

“The fans appreciate the path we've taken. We were happy and thankful that we could give something back last weekend with our fan-club visits across Germany. Every one of us came back with a smile and a great amount of energy.”

Die Königsblauen make the short trip from the Ruhr to the Rhein full of confidence after a 2-1 victory in last week's top-of-the-table clash with Paderborn. Though Muslic insisted that Schalke's position at the top of the 2. Bundesliga is “secondary.”

“We are Schalke - and we don't invest once a month, but every single day. With that mentality, we will approach the game in Düsseldorf. Regardless of the opponent, we expect ourselves to execute our plan from the first to the last second.”

Despite Fortuna's poor start - just four wins in 14 - Muslic warned that his side cannot underestimate a side that was expected to be involved in the promotion fight this season.

“We won't be fooled by the current table,” said the Bosnian. “The Düsseldorf team has much more quality than they've shown recently. We are prepared for that.”

Schalke will look to defend top spot on their travels on Friday, backed by one of their biggest away followings of the season.