Schalke will already be without midfielder Weston McKennie for some time after the American dislocated his shoulder in this weekend’s 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, and now their starting goalkeeper will be sidelined for a while as well.
Alexander Nubel earned himself a four-game suspension from the Bundesliga disciplinary committee for his absolutely brutal challenge on Frankfurt midfielder Mijat Gacinovic in the 67th minute of the eventual victory. The 23-year-old goalkeeper picked up a straight red card after bulldozing Gacinovic at full-tilt well out of his penalty area while challenging a long-ball over the top, with replay showing his left studs came high up into Gacinovic’s chest kung-fu style.
The standard suspension for violent conduct is three games, but the Bundesliga brass tacked on one more for the extra violent nature of the challenge.
Schalke goalkeeper Alexander Nübel has received a 4-game suspension for his red card against Frankfurt. 😳pic.twitter.com/7ZEYCaQCLB
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 17, 2019
Gacinovic came away from the challenge with some absolutely wild marks on his chest from Nubel’s boot.
Nubel has started and played in every Schalke league match this season, captaining the side throughout. He has been with the club since 2015 when he joined from Paderborn’s youth squad. In his absence, Schalke will look to 21-year-old Markus Schubert, a Dynamo Dresden youth product who joined Schalke this summer and has been the backup since missing the first match of the year with an injury. The club also has 34-year-old journeyman Michael Langer on the squad.
McKennie is out for “a while” after dislocating his shoulder in an awkward fall from an aerial challenge with Bas Dost. It has not yet been determined if he needs surgery for the injury, but McKennie has been a regular starter in the Schalke midfield all season, and his loss is a big one for the club as they challenge for a Champions League place, currently sitting fourth in the Bundesliga table.
