Saints Marching
Fansided

Southampton: Which Bundesliga team should Saints fans follow?

By Marc Walker

Augsburg's German forward Florian Niederlechner (2ndR) is congratulated by teammates after he scored the 1-0 during the German first division Bundesliga football match Augsburg v Borussia Dortmund in Augsburg, on January 18, 2020. (Photo by THOMAS KIENZLE / AFP) / DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by THOMAS KIENZLE/AFP via Getty Images)
Augsburg's German forward Florian Niederlechner (2ndR) is congratulated by teammates after he scored the 1-0 during the German first division Bundesliga football match Augsburg v Borussia Dortmund in Augsburg, on January 18, 2020. (Photo by THOMAS KIENZLE / AFP) / DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by THOMAS KIENZLE/AFP via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
Head coach David Wagner of FC Schalke 04 (Photo by Max Maiwald/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Head coach David Wagner of FC Schalke 04 (Photo by Max Maiwald/DeFodi Images via Getty Images) /

FC Schalke 04 (6th)

As made clear by the official FC Schalke 04 English Twitter account on Monday, the main link between them and Saints is the strength of their respective youth academies.

The German side boast a healthy record of producing players who have become full internationals for Germany, with Manuel Neuer, Leroy Sane and Mezut Ozil all learning their trade in Gelsenkirchen.

It is well-known that Saints have also had a similar level of success with their academy in past and gave the likes of Alan Shearer, Matt Le Tissier and Gareth Bale their first steps into the professional game.

Schalke are battling it out at the top of the Bundesliga table, with former Huddersfield Town manager David Wagner leading them to the European qualifying places before the Coronavirus suspension.

Next game: Borussia Dortmund vs FC Schalke 04, Saturday 16th May, 2:30pm UK time