*This content was translated by AI.
The anticipated 'Korean derby' between Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) and Hwang Hee-chan (Schalke 04) did not take place. Kim Min-jae watched the match from the bench amid a major rotation, while Hwang Hee-chan, who donned the Schalke jersey at the very end of the transfer window, saw his debut delayed.
Munich and Schalke drew 0-0 in the second round of the 2026–2027 German Bundesliga match held on the 6th (Korean time) at Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
On this day, Korean football fans' attention focused on whether the two Korean league players would face each other. However, although Kim Min-jae was listed among the substitutes, he ultimately did not enter the match. Hwang Hee-chan was excluded from the match roster entirely.
In Kim Min-jae's case, it was less about losing out in the starting lineup competition and more about a clear rotational strategy.
Prior to the match, German media outlet TZ reported that "Vincent Kompany, Bayern Munich's manager, is expected to implement rotation compared to the recent DFB Pokal match," adding that "Dayot Upamecano rested during the Osnabrück game, so his return to the starting lineup against Schalke is anticipated."
It further explained, "The issue is who will partner with Upamecano. Kim Min-jae and Jonathan Tah played full matches in midweek games. In the Stuttgart match, Manager Kompany had selected the Upamecano-Kim Min-jae pairing."
Indeed, Upamecano returned to the starting lineup. However, his partner was not Kim Min-jae but Jonathan Tah. Kim Min-jae began the match from the bench.
In fact, it wasn't just Kim Min-jae who was left out of the starting lineup. World-class strikers Harry Kane and Michael Olise also started on the bench. Jamal Musiala, returning from injury, was listed among the substitutes. TZ also focused on this aspect. In short, Bayern Munich made major changes to its starting lineup compared to midweek matches.
The defensive selection proved successful. Upamecano and Tah kept Schalke's attack scoreless. Football statistics platform FotMob awarded both players a high rating of 8.7.
The problem lay in the attack. Bayern Munich struggled to break through Schalke's goal. Ultimately, Manager Kompany brought on Kane at the start of the second half and simultaneously introduced Olise and Musiala onto the field in the 12th minute of the second half.
Still, no goals were scored. Schalke goalkeeper Loris Karius made five key saves over the full 90 minutes to maintain a scoreless draw. Bayern Munich continuously deployed attacking resources in pursuit of victory, but Kim Min-jae never received an opportunity to enter the match.
Hwang Hee-chan's situation differed from Kim Min-jae's.
Hwang Hee-chan joined Schalke literally at the 'last moment' of the transfer deadline. It was only two days before this match that he finally participated in team training with Schalke players for the first time. There was simply insufficient preparation time to play against Munich immediately.
Local Ruhr media outlet RUHR24 also predicted ahead of the Munich match, "It has not yet been decided whether Hwang Hee-chan will be included in this match's roster."
It further explained, "Hwang Hee-chan joined Wolverhampton's pre-season training later than other players due to his participation with the South Korean national team in the World Cup. During the pre-season process, he suffered a minor injury that temporarily disrupted his training rhythm."
Miroslav Muslic, Schalke's head coach at the time, stated, "There is still about one and a half days until the Munich match. We will monitor whether Hwang Hee-chan will be in a condition to play after that."
Ultimately, Schalke did not rush Hwang Hee-chan's debut.
However, Coach Muslic expressed strong expectations regarding Hwang Hee-chan's abilities. He said, "Hwang Hee-chan is exactly the profile we needed," and highly praised him, adding, "He possesses strength, power, intensity, and quality."
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*This content was translated by AI.
