Veltins-Arena Marks 25 Years with Real Madrid as the Headline Act
Schalke 04’s return to the Bundesliga has been building toward this weekend for months, and the club chose fitting company to mark it: Real Madrid arrived in Gelsenkirchen for the closing fixture of both sides’ preseason calendars, and for the 25th anniversary celebration of the Veltins-Arena itself. Miron Muslic’s promoted side used the occasion as their last dress rehearsal before the DFB-Pokal opener against Hallescher, while José Mourinho treated it as a final chance to settle on combinations before Real Madrid’s La Liga title defense begins at home in a week’s time.
The sides have history, even if it’s faded with age — their four previous meetings all came in the Champions League, with Real Madrid winning three, including the two most recent legs in Gelsenkirchen. The last of those, back in February 2015, actually went to the home side 4-3, a scoreline that still gets mentioned around the club whenever Real Madrid’s name comes up. Sunday offered no European stakes, but a sold-out crowd made clear how much the fixture still meant locally, regardless of the pre-season billing.
Real Madrid traveled with by far the more decorated group, unsurprisingly, and arrived unbeaten across five previous warm-up matches under Mourinho. Kylian Mbappé, back after collecting the World Cup Golden Boot with France over the summer, was always going to draw the eye, and he needed only six minutes to open the scoring on the day. Schalke, for their part, leaned on the continuity of a squad that won four of six preseason friendlies, with veteran Edin Džeko — freshly re-signed on a new one-year deal — anchoring the attack.
🔵 Matchday Elevens Named
| FC SCHALKE 04 — STARTING XI (3-4-3) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Loris Karius | Faces the club that ended his Liverpool career in 2018 |
| Defense | Timothy Becker, Nikola Katić, Ismail Kuruçay | Back three ahead of Karius |
| Midfield | Dejan Ljubičić, Ibrahim El-Faouzi, Paul Schallenberg, Adil Aouchiche | Four-man line, Ljubičić back after a minor calf issue |
| Attack | Junior Adamu, Moussa Sylla, Vitalie Becker | Front three leading the press |
| REAL MADRID — STARTING XI (4-2-3-1) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Thibaut Courtois | Starts between the posts |
| Defense | Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konaté, Dean Huijsen, Álvaro Carreras | Back four, with Konaté a summer arrival from Liverpool |
| Midfield | Federico Valverde, Bernardo Silva | Double pivot, Silva another new face after his free transfer |
| Attack | Brahim Díaz, Arda Güler, Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé | Mbappé leads the line after his World Cup exploits with France |
Loris Karius starting in goal for Schalke carried its own subplot — eight years on from the 2018 Champions League final in Kyiv, where a pair of high-profile errors against these same opponents still shadow his career, he lined up across from Real Madrid once more, this time in front of a home crowd willing him on. Mourinho, meanwhile, used the fixture to fold in three of his summer’s marquee arrivals: Konaté, Silva and Mbappé all featured from the start, a clear signal of how central they’ll be once competitive football resumes.
⚠️ Who’s Missing: The Team News
The gap in squad health between the two clubs was stark heading into kickoff. Schalke arrive at this fixture with essentially a clean bill of health, while Real Madrid continue to manage a genuine defensive and attacking crisis carried over from the second half of last season.
| FC SCHALKE 04 — INJURY REPORT | ||
|---|---|---|
| Out / Ruled Out | Adrian Gantenbein | Right ankle injury, expected back mid-September |
| REAL MADRID — INJURY REPORT | ||
|---|---|---|
| Long-Term / IR | Rodrygo | ACL and lateral meniscus tear (right knee), not expected back until 2027 |
| Long-Term / IR | Éder Militão | Hamstring tendon surgery, targeting an October return |
| Long-Term / IR | Ferland Mendy | Rectus femoris tendon surgery, five-to-six month recovery |
| Out / Ruled Out | Endrick | Muscular overload, missed this friendly only |
| Out / Ruled Out | Raúl Asencio | Injured, unavailable for selection |
Endrick’s absence was the most recent addition to the list, with Real Madrid citing muscular overload after the 20-year-old only rejoined full training in late July following his World Cup involvement — caution rather than a serious setback, and he’s still expected to be involved when the league campaign opens against Espanyol. The longer-term picture is heavier: Rodrygo’s second lengthy knee layoff in as many years has already cost him a World Cup, while Militão and Mendy both required surgery within weeks of each other in the spring, leaving Mourinho notably thin at left-back and in central defense heading into the new season.
- Loris Karius started for Schalke against the club connected to his most painful career memory, in front of a sold-out anniversary crowd.
- Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring inside six minutes, his first involvement for Real Madrid since returning from World Cup duty with France.
- Adrian Gantenbein is Schalke’s only injury absence, a marked contrast to a Real Madrid treatment room still managing three separate long-term cases.
- New signings Ibrahima Konaté, Bernardo Silva and Satoshi Tanaka all featured, offering an early look at how their respective sides plan to use them.
Around the fixture, previews leaned heavily on the mismatch in squad depth and matchday experience, with most framing this as a formality for Real Madrid rather than a genuine test — pointing to the sheer weight of attacking talent Mourinho could call upon even without a fully fit squad. Locally, though, the emphasis fell elsewhere: this was Schalke’s chance to give their rebuilt fanbase one last taste of continental-level opposition before the serious business of a Bundesliga return begins in earnest.
| ⚽Extended Highlights | |
|---|---|
| 🥅 Watch | Server #1 |
Watch Schalke 04 vs Real Madrid full match replay and highlights, At Sunday, August 16, 2026. in Friendly.
