Huub Stevens
Bundesliga club Schalke will be without coach Huub Stevens for their final UEFA Europa League match against Maccabi Haifa.
Schalke is already assured of winning Group J ahead of its final group game and Stevens decided to rest several regulars for the away match in Israel.
Shortly before the team was due to depart, Stevens received a call informing him that his 85-year-old mother was ill and he decided to stay behind.
Schalke’s co-coach Seppo Eichkorn will be in charge of the team for the game in Haifa, the club says.
Former Germany goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand is set to play his first game for the Schalke first team after joining it a few weeks ago.
Missing from the Schalke line-up will be players like Raul, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Lewis Holtby and Jermaine Jones, who stayed behind in German.