Schalke coach explains Nabil Bentaleb snub

Schalke and Borussia Dortmund draw in the Bundesliga

Tuesday Nov 07, 2017. 08:30

Schalke coach Domenico Tedesco has explained why he left Algerian Nabil Bentaleb out of the Bundesliga match at Freiburg on Saturday.

The Royal Blues claimed a 1-0 win at the Schwarzwald Stadion, but Algeria fans would have been concerned at the absence of Bentaleb, who was an unused substitute.

The midfielder has been included in Algeria’s squad for their upcoming matches against Nigeria and Central African Republic, and is expected to play a major role under new coach Rabah Madjer.

"Nabil trained only one and a half days this week, he was not able to train continuously because of muscle problems, it's nothing serious and not dramatic at all,” explained Tedesco.

“But you have to understand: you train only a day and a half and you are in the starting lineup? With respect to other players, it's not fair. No matter who plays, I want my players at 100 percent of their abilities.”