week 14 - match preview

Schalke out to maintain high standard against Bochum

On paper it always seems a clear-cut case whenever the league leaders play host to a team who are in the drop zone. But no one in the Schalke camp is expecting Friday's home clash with VfL Bochum to be a mere formality.

Head coach Mirko Slomka saw with his own eyes how well Bochum are capable of playing away from home when he watched them beat Hannover 96 a few weeks ago. "They have some quick attacking players in their ranks and an exceptionally good passer of a ball in Misimovic", said Slomka. "And they've also won two of the three matches they've played at the Arena so far."

The Royal Blues will be hoping to do better than the last time they topped the Bundesliga table. "Back then we beat Bayern 1-0, but then lost the very next game in Mainz. Against Bochum our aim is to put ourselves in a position where we can savour being at the top of the table for a little longer."

Slomka made no secret of the fact that the players and coaching staff had "in all modesty" enjoyed the first few days following their rise to the top. "But since Tuesday we have been focusing solely on the Bochum game." The Royal Blues are looking to build on what has been the foundation of their recent wins, he added. "We're banking on our pace going forward and our strength in the challenge. That will be the key to success."

General manager Andreas Müller is pleased with the team's Bundesliga points haul so far this season. "An average of two points a game was what we were targeting and that is exactly what we have achieved", he said. "All teams go through a bad patch at some point during the season. Most recently it's been Werder Bremen, who many expected to walk away with the title. Bayern Munich have also had one, but they've picked up again in recent weeks. For us it's important now to play to a consistently high standard."

Schalke will definitely be without Gustavo Varela (muscle strain) and Gerald Asamoah (broken leg), and some doubt remains over Marcelo Bordon (muscle strain). In addition, Christian Pander was unable to train with the rest of the squad on Wednesday due to flu and was restricted to weight training and work on the treadmill instead.