Roberto Di Matteo will take charge of his first game as Schalke 04 manager when Hertha Berlin come to town on Saturday evening.
Both sides languish in the bottom half of the table after just eight points in seven games, though fans of Schalke will be hoping that their recent return to form continues after two wins in the last three games.
Hertha have also won two of their last three, though both came at home, and they have just one point on the road this season, even that came after an injury-time equaliser from Ronny vs Freiburg.
Only bottom-side Werder Bremen have conceded more than both of these teams, and with both sides averaging over 1.5 goals a game, you would expect an exciting game in Gelsenkirchen this evening.
Di Matteo will hope his reign starts with a comfortable win, stating in a press conference: “The boys aren’t happy with our amount of points so far. We want to move up the table as quickly as possible.”
His heroics with Chelsea will set him up in good stead, and his new side have already drawn against the English giants this season, and Di Matteo will get the chance to face them again.
The Royal Blues are unlikely to have it all their own way though, Berlin have been strong going forward with Kalou, Ronny, and Schieber all on three goals already.
Draxler should start, while Benedikt Howedes could return to the fray after nearly a month out for the home side. The visitors don’t have any injury issues apart from Kalou, who returned from international duty with a slight knock, but should well be fit.
A win could catapult both sides into the top six, though that will be dependent on the earlier games. Jos Luhukay will be more than likely to be happy a point from the Veltins-Arena on Saturday.