Schalke 04 will look to get off to a solid start in the DFB Pokal when it takes on Darmstadt 98 on Wednesday.
Schalke recently received a tremendous amount of praise from Russian president Vladimir Putin for the team's ability to acquire Kevin-Prince Boateng this summer. Schalke's main promoter Gazprom is connected with Putin.
"We discussed matters regarding the Olympic Games in Sochi, as well as Schalke," Schalke chairman Clemens Tonnies said, according to ESPN. "Vladimir Putin explicitly praised us for the Boateng transfer. That shows that Kevin-Prince has, from day one, become another face of the club, another figurehead. He gives his team-mates security - he leads. He shows them where it's at and how it's done."
Unfortunately, the team will have to make due without Boateng in Wednesday's match.
"[Julian] Draxler and Boateng will not be included in the squad due to injuries," coach Jens Keller said, according to SBS.
The team must find a way to bounce back from a poor performance against Bayern Munich this weekend. Despite playing in front of its home fans, Schalke 04 was completely dominated from start to finish by the reigning Bundesliga and European champs. The team conceded its first goal in the 21st minute and then allowed Munich to score another just a minute later.
Prediction: Schalke is the heavy favorite in this game, but will need to find a way to win without one of its top players. Expect a 1-0 Schalke win.
Start Time: 2:30 p.m. EST
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