Match preview - Week 20

Club record in sights against Mainz

Schalke could equal a club record in the home match FSV Mainz on Saturday (1530 CET). The Royal Blues have chalked up six consecutive Bundesliga victories on only two occasions before (2004/05 and 2006/07).

Such statistics are of no interest to Huub Stevens, however, even if the Schalke coach is as determined as ever to achieve more success with his side. Following wins against Augsburg, Berlin, Bremen, Stuttgart and Cologne, Stevens has no desire to be distracted by talk of clinching a record-equalling sixth successive victory. "There are still areas of our game in need of improvement," the 58-year-old said, citing as an example the first half of the last week's match at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne, where the Royal Blues trailed by a single goal at the break before eventually running out 4-1 winners.

"We're on the right path and we're taking a lot of steps in the right direction," said Stevens. "But sometimes we also take a step backwards. That's still helpful, though, as we can learn from those situations." Stevens is able to look back on the past weeks and months with satisfaction: "We're a team. The players understand that you have to work hard to achieve success."

The same goes for the match against Mainz. "When you're up at the top of the league your opponents are always that little bit more motivated," the coach warned. "We'll need to give 110 percent from the start if we want to win the game." Stevens believes Mainz are a stronger proposition than their league position would suggest. "Mainz work well when they haven't got the ball," he explained. "They put you under pressure and shouldn't be taken lightly. We mustn't underestimate them!"

Stevens has repeated this message to his team in training over the last couple of days. "The players know what I expect and they've worked well," he said. The Schalke boss has opted for lively drills with a lot of moving about to ward off the cold. "The only people suffering out there on the pitch are the coaches," grinned the 58-year-old before adding: "We just have to get on with it. The temperature shouldn't be a problem for the players during the 90 minutes against Mainz."