week 11 - match preview

Bordon out of Gladbach trip

Schalke travel to Borussia Mönchengladbach on Wednesday for what will be their only midweek game in the first half of the season. They will be without six first-team regulars, though.

The story of Gladbach's season so far can be summed up as follows: a force at home, abysmal away. While they have lost five out five on the road, Jupp Heynckes's team have won four out of five at the Borussia Park. So it will be no easy task for Mirko Slomka, who will again be forced to make changes to his side.

Schalke skipper Marcelo Bordon sustained a thigh injury in the top-of-the-table clash with Bayern Munich on Sunday and will miss out tomorrow. It remains to be seen whether the Brazilian will recover in time for Saturday's home clash with FSV Mainz 05.

Things are slightly worse as far as Bordon's compatriot Lincoln is concerned. The playmaker is suffering from a muscle tear and will not feature against Mönchengladbach or Mainz. "The scar is ten centimetres long and so it's still much too big", explained Slomka, who does not expect the 27-yerar-old midfielder to return until the trip to Energie Cottbus on 18 November.

The Schalke boss was unwilling to say who would stand in for Bordon on Wednesday. Besides Dario Rodriguez, who is carrying a minor toe injury, Tim Hoogland is also in the running for the job. The 22-year-old had made a solid impression so far this season, said Slomka. "He has stabilised his performances and is always in the game right away. I have every faith in Tim and would have no misgivings about playing him against Gladbach."

The same applies to Christian Pander, who returned to Bundesliga action against Bayern after almost 19 months out injured. "I'm very happy to have him back again", said Slomka, who had two meetings with the 23-year-old defender last week. "He told me he was ready both times. Obviously there was a bit of a risk involved in bringing him on, but I'm sure we'll benefit from his attributes over the next few weeks."

First and foremost, these included his whipped-in crosses, his passing and his pace, Slomka continued. "Against Bayern there was one situation that showed how dangerous his set pieces can be. He's definitely a candidate for Gladbach." No decision has been made on whether he will start, though.