Schalke faced a turbulent time during the 2019/2020 term, but die Königsblauen managed to pull themselves out of trouble and finish the campaign in 12th spot.
They haven't been so lucky this time around, and have spent much of the current campaign rooted to the bottom of the table.
Dimitrios Grammozis is their fifth, yes, fifth manager so far this season, and we still have about two months to go. Will he be the last tactician on the bench for this campaign following the departures of David Wagner, Manuel Baum, Huub Stevens, and Christian Goss?
No one has conceded more times than Schalke, who have shipped a whopping 66 goals in just 25 games (more than two per match). And their anemic attack have scored just 16 times, which averages out to less than one goal per game.
With just ten points earned so far, they are also 11 away from 17th-placed Mainz, who they failed to beat recently, and are 12 away from safety.
So is it all done and dusted for Dimitrios Grammozis and his team? Should fans already resign themselves to seeing their players featuring in the 2.Bundesliga next term?
Not necessarily. Although it obviously won't be easy, it's certainly not impossible.
And here are four reasons why.
1. Gladbach's recent poor form
Schalke were utter humiliated last weekend as Wolfsburg crushed them 5-0, but they just may have a chance at redemption when they face Borussia Moenchengladbach in their next league match. Although die Fohlen currently sit in an enviable tenth place and boast over three times the number of points Schalke have, Marco Rose's side have been in awful form lately. They've lost their last four Bundesliga games and their prior seven across all comps, including being dumped out of the Champions League after losing 4-0 on aggregate.
While it won't be easy, this match could present the perfect opportunity for Schalke to launch their biggest fightback of the season.
2. Facing more fellow strugglers
Three of their last four games will see Schalke take on Köln, Arminia Bielefeld, and Hertha Berlin, who currently sit in 14th, 15th, and 16th place respectively. They'll obviously need to pick up nine points out of nine in order to have any chance of avoiding the drop.
3. A promising young American talent
Matthew Hoppe isn't a name many Bundesliga fans were aware of until this season. The Californian-born attacker, who recently celebrated his 20th birthday on March 13th, is presently the top goal-scorer for die Königsblauen this season with five goals. Three of them came against Hoffenheim this past January, making him the first American to score a hat-trick in the Bundesliga, and those just so happen to be his first goals in the senior side since joining in 2020.
4. Speaking of Hoffenheim...
So far, Hoffenheim are the only side Schalke have beaten this season, thanks to three of their four goals being scored by Hoppe. Will they be able to pull off a double?
