The Great Escape - An FC Schalke 04 Career Mode

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Round of 16 2nd Leg: FC Schalke 0 - 1 Inter Milan

Mar. 20,2015

FC Schalke move on to the quarterfinals of the Europa League, but once again struggled to prevent a loss at home. Mauro Icardi scored the only goal in the 57th minute, but it wasn't enough as Schalke parked the bus the entire game.

"In hindsight, we probably shouldn't have focused on defending." said Joel Matip

"It wasn't a good performance today, but the important thing is that we're through and we're moving on." says Phillip Cocu after the match.

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Europa League draw: FC Schalke to face Beşiktaş J.K. in quarterfinals

FC Schalke's first two matches in April will be against Turkish side Beşiktaş, with the first match being held there on April 2nd, and the second match will be the home leg for FC Schalke on April 9th.

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Bundesliga Standings (As of Apr.1, 2015)
TEAM	GP	W	D	L	PTS
FC Bayern Munich **	25	15	8	2	53
Bor. Dortmund **	26	15	4	7	49
Bor. M'gladbach **	25	14	4	7	46
VfB Stuttgart **	26	12	8	6	44
VfL Wolfsburg *	24	13	4	7	43
FC Schalke 04 *	24	12	6	6	42
Bayer 04	25	12	5	8	41
Hannover 96	26	10	10	6	40
Eint. Frankfurt	26	11	6	9	39
Hamburger SV	26	8	8	10	32
1899 Hoffenheim	26	8	8	10	32
Hertha BSC	25	7	8	10	29
SC Freiburg	25	7	6	12	27
SC Paderborn	26	8	2	16	26
FC Augsburg	26	6	7	13	25
1. FC Koln	26	6	4	16	22
Werder Bremen	26	5	6	15	21
1. FSV Mainz 05	25	4	8	13	20
** - Champions League
* - Europa League

Soccer Leaders - Updated: Apr 1, 2015
Top Goalscorers		Assist Leaders
1. A. Robben (FCB)	14	1. A. Schurrle (WOL)	9
2. Raffael (MON)	13	2. M. Reus (BVB)	7
3. P. Aubameyang (BVB)	13	3. P. Aubameyang (BVB)	7
4. S. Kießling (BAY)	12	4. P. Lahm (FCB)	6
5. S. Kalou (HER)	11	5. I. Olic (HSV)	6

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Quarter-finals 1st Leg: Beşiktaş J.K. 0 - 1 FC Schalke

Apr. 2,2015

FC Schalke get their 3rd straight away win in the Europa League after Klass-Jan Huntelaar grabs his 14th goal of the season to give Schalke the only goal of the game.

"At the moment, KJ is probably part of the top three pure strikers in the game." says fellow countryman Memphis Depay

"His form is extremely difficult to ignore," replied Phillip Cocu after being asked about the striker "If we base everything on form, he's the number one striker in the world."

Schalke will return to their home at the Veltins Arena, looking to grab their first home win in the Europa League.

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Quarter-finals 2nd Leg: FC Schalke 2 - 1 Beşiktaş J.K.

Apr. 9,2015

FC Schalke secure a spot in the semi-finals, after beating Besiktas to win 3-1 on aggregate. The win also marked their first home win in the Europa League, thanks to a 74th minute winner from Max Meyer.

Schalke's defense looked shaky early on, but they would only concede later at the end of the first-half with a headed goal from Özyakup. Eric Choupo-Moting would put Gelsenkirchen club level in the 57th minute, but it would ultimately be decided when Günay Güvenç gave away the ball straight to Max Meyer who would tap in the empty goal to seal the series.

"We're really relieved," says Sidney Sam "After they led, we thought it was going to be another home loss for us, but we eventually pulled through."

"We know it's not going to get any easier, but we're ready for whoever comes next." said a determined Phillip Cocu who's side has now played 4 straight Europa League games.

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Report: Kolasnic refuses to sign new €50,000 per week contract

Inside sources report that Kolasnic has refused to sign a new contract with Schalke that will bump his wages to €50,000 per week. Sources say that the Bosnian full back still has concerns about the club's stability and ability to remain competitive and therefore refuses to commit. There has been no official comment from the Gelsenkirchen club or from the player and his agent, but the news is certainly not a welcome sign for Phillip Cocu who highly regards Kolasnic as integral to his plans.

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Europa League Draw: FC Schalke face Atletico Madrid in Semi-Finals

FC Schalke will face Spanish club, Atletico Madrid in the Semi-Final clash. The first leg will be played at Schalke's Veltins Arena on April 23, while the second leg will be at the Estadio Vicente Calderon on April 30.

"We know that they are the current reigning champions of Spain, but we aren't fazed by that at all." says Phillip Cocu ahead of the highly anticipated match between two of the most promising managers in the world.

"At the moment, Diego Simeone is the better manager, but Phillip Cocu has the chance to prove that his achievements with Schalke and PSV are not just flukes." says one footballing pundit regarding the matchup.

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Farfan scores his first goal of the campaign to help Schalke beat Freiburg

Match Week 25: FC Schalke 4 - 2 SC Freiburg

April 12, 2015

FC Schalke get another three points, after a disastrous game for Roman Burki who failed to register a clean save. Ralf Fahrmann, meanwhile, made 8 saves to keep Freiburg to only two goals.

"We are definitely pleased about the result, and we look forward to the next match." says Marco Hoger

FC Schalke will face FC Augsburg next at the SGL Arena

Goals:
8' - Draxler (SCH)
33' - Petersen (FRE)
42' - Farfan (SCH)
58' - Depay (SCH)
71' - Huntelaar (SCH)
80' - Petersen (FRE)

Notable Stat:
8 saves - Fahrmann
0 saves - Burki