Can either team land a late winner?

Both teams aren't taking many risks at the moment. Could we have one last twist?

Schalke are becoming more active after conceding, while Hertha have reduced their risk-taking. There have been no chances since the equaliser.

Klemens fouls Younes, hurting himself in the process. Tom Bauer shows no sympathy and brandishes a yellow card.

Zeefuik and Karaman engage in a bit of a scuffle after a challenge. Referee Tom Bauer calls the quarrelling players over and shows both of them a yellow card.

Hertha started more dangerously, but as the game progressed, Schalke gained the upper hand and made their dominance count with two breathtaking strikes.

...are indicated. Will anything happen before the break?

The hosts are regaining possession much quicker after losing the ball - they certainly deserve their lead.

In Schalke's matches this season, a total of 33 goals have been scored at both ends (now 15-18 from Schalke's perspective)! There's always something happening in a Schalke match!

Hertha are a bit overeager, leading to the kick-off being repeated as too many players were already in the opposition half. Their second attempt gets us underway though.

For the first time this season, Schalke made only one change to their starting eleven from match to match. There had always been more prior to tonight.

Compared to the victory in Münster, there is one change in Schalke's starting lineup: Christopher Antwi-Adjei replaces Mehmet Can Aydin, meaning S04 are taking a slightly more offensive approach this evening.

The 19-year-old Pascal Klemens is in Hertha's starting eleven for the first time this second division season after five previous substitute appearances. Starting from the beginning is not new for him, though, as he was in the starting lineup 20 times in the 2023/23 season.

Kevin Sessa, who joined from Heidenheim in the summer, is in Hertha's starting line-up for the first time. He brings plenty of experience, having 92 second-tier and 30 top-flight matches under his belt. In his last two starts, he scored a goal in each game (at the end of the last Bundesliga season against Freiburg and against Cologne in this).

Compared to the heavy 4-1 home defeat against Elversberg, Hertha have made two changes to the starting lineup today: Pascal Klemens and Kevin Sessa replace Diego Demme and Luca Schuler (both on the bench).

The eleven starters for Schalke have a combined total of 523 second-tier appearances, while those of Berlin have 522.

Heekeren - Antwi-Adjei, Bulut, Kalas, Murkin - Grüger, Schallenberg - Mohr, Karaman, Younes - Sylla

Ernst - Kenny, Leistner, M. Dárdai, Zeefuik - Klemens - Cuisance, Sessa, Maza - Thorsteinsson, Scherhant

In the ten second division meetings between Schalke and Hertha, an average of over four goals have been scored per game. There has also never been a 0-0 draw.

Hertha BSC have won five of their last six competitive matches against Schalke.

Hertha won twice last season, 2-1 away and 5-2 at home.

Both clubs were relegated from the Bundesliga in 2022/23, and in the 2023/24 campaign they met again in the Bundesliga 2 for the first time since the 1989/90 season.

"Hertha is a team with strong playing ability and superb individual talents in the attack. Therefore, it's important to put pressure on the ball, keep the opponent away from dangerous areas, and remain proactive ourselves. This must be our approach for tomorrow."

"The goal is to do things differently at Schalke! When you look through Schalke's squad, you see a lot of individual quality. The expectations before the season may have been different."

Referee: Tom Bauer, Assistant Referee 1: Luca Schlosser, Assistant Referee 2: Felix Wagner, Fourth Official: Nikolai Kimmeyer, VAR: Pascal Müller, VAR Assistant: Felix-Benjamin Schwermer

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 8 fixture between FC Schalke 04 and Hertha BSC.