FC Schalke 04 Manager Jens Keller thinks that the element of surprise from FC Basel 1893 will be limited as he and Basel boss Murat Yakin has just exchanged tactical nous in the recently held UEFA coaches' meeting in Nyon.

"We're playing away and Basel have won in London [2-1 at Chelsea] so I think that Basel are favourites," Keller told uefa.com.

"I met Murat Yakin in Nyon [at the UEFA Elite Club Coaches Forum] and we exchanged our tactical [ideas]."

"I told him how we will play and he told me how Basel will play, so there will be no big surprises."

"We know exactly what will happen. The strength of FC Basel is that they can play with different tactics; they can change their tactics during the match a few times."

"We saw that against Chelsea and it was impressive."

Keller expressed admiration of Basel player Valentin Stocker and described him as a "very good player with great qualities," but also said that his side has their own share of quality players and that an entire team should be prepared for in football instead of individual standouts.

"We will do our best, and I think at this level we will always play against good players and this will be the case here. I will do my best to prepare our side," he added.

Kevin-Prince Boateng, Joel Matip and Marco Hoger scored a goal each during their match on Saturday that ended in a 3-3 draw against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.

Julian Draxler's knee is still under observation, while Christian Fuchs, Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Chinedu Obasi will not suit up due to injuries. Jermaine Jones services are not available.

By contrast, Yakin thinks that both Schalke and Basel did well on opening night and will be looking to get the better of the other.

"Both of us want to win and we will try to challenge them," said Yakin.

The Swiss club played with four attackers against Chelsea which paid dividends for them. Yakin is exploring the possibility of fielding a similar starting eleven.

"All our attackers right now are fit and in form, none of them deserves to be on the bench," he added.

"It was maybe a surprise that we played with four attackers against Chelsea."

"We will have to see if this is possible tomorrow as some of them have minor knocks, nothing serious, but we will decide tomorrow if the same lineup is possible or if we have to change."

Basel is coming off a 2-2 draw against FC Sion with Stocker and Mohamed Salah providing a goal each.

Fabian Schar's knee will be closely examined to determine his availability on Tuesday.

Schedule and Free Live Online Streaming (Link will be provided an hour before kick-off):

Read Also: Matchday 2: Borussia Dortmund vs. Olympique de Marseille Preview; Suspension is not a Problem, says Klopp; Live Online Streaming

Oct 2, 2013 - 4:45 am (AEST)

LINK

Basel v. Schalke
Courtesy of: whoscored.com