Just as with Joachim Löw's Germany squad, kick off on Saturday will signal a difficult first step back to reality for the Lower Saxony outfit. The fact that the match in Gelsenkirchen will be anything but a normal Bundesliga match is clear: "We still need time to process the tragedy." It is a strange situation for the club and one which few are looking forward to facing: "But we'll try and do our best for the club," said central defender Christian Schulz.

"We need to start enjoying football again"

The team has been training since Monday following the moving funeral service which took place on Sunday at the AWD Arena. "It was good to get a bit of fresh air and do some exercise," said sporting director Jörg Schmadke.

Coach Andreas Bergmann was keen to emphasise that he was preparing his side for the match as usual: "We've been working very hard as always. The importance of the match should help us to return to normality. We need to start enjoying football again without forgetting to be respectful and human in light of Robert's death," said the 50-year-old, whose 11th Bundesliga match in charge of the club undoubtedly provides his biggest challenge yet.

Special shirt in respect for their former No1

Switching off from the events of the past couple of weeks is obviously going to be an impossible task: "The sadness is still there," explained Schulz. "Football is full of joy and emotion, but it's difficult to accept that into our lives at the moment." Still, the team has promised to play against Schalke in order to make a their first steps on the long road back to their everyday Bundesliga lives. "Robert would have wanted us to," said the defender, who believes Enke "will be watching the game closely."

The 96ers will be wearing a special kit to commemorate their deceased No1 - Enke's shirt number will be sewn into the chest area of every player. According the Schulz, the suggestion came from Steve Cherundolo and was met with approval from the entire team, who were keen to show their respect for their departed team-mate.

Schulz: "This will bring us closer together"

The task of replacing Enke as captain against Schalke falls to Arnold Bruggink. The Dutchman was one of those carrying Enke's coffin out of the stadium on Sunday. "It was important for me to be able to say my goodbyes to Robert in this way," said Bruggink, who admits it will not be easy taking over the captain's armband from his former colleague. However, the 32-year-old has taken immediate responsibility for the team: "Even though it's going to be incredibly difficult, football is our job and we all love playing." He also emphasised that the squad will need to "support each other and pull closer together" more than ever before.

The most difficult task, however, surely awaits Florian Fromlowitz, who is set to replace Enke in goal. "Robert was like a teacher to me. I haven't lost a competitor, but a friend. He always helped me, even when he wasn't saying anything," said Fromlowitz. "Flo will be backed by the whole team. We'll help him," announced midfielder Hanno Balitsch. "We'll all be there to support Florian and he knows that," added Bruggink.

Schulz also believes that the ordeal will bring the team "closer together. We'll only be able to get through this difficult time together and everyone needs to look out for one another. There will be plenty of painful memories over the next few weeks, but we're well aware that the Bundesliga season won't wait for us."