week 17 - match preview

Schalke out to put pressure on Bremen with win in Bielefeld

Last weekend Werder Bremen won on the Saturday, meaning the Royal Blues had to catch up by beating Dortmund in the local derby. This weekend Mirko Slomka's men will be looking to reverse the roles and put pressure on the league leaders by winning at Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday. Bremen host VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday.

Yet Slomka does not hold out much hope that the Wolfsburg will win at the Weser Stadium. "They're not in the best of form", the 39-year-old Schalke boss said at Thursday's press conference, looking back to last weekend's match against Alemannia Aachen, when Klaus Augenthaler's men harmed their own cause by having a man sent off in the opening stages and eventually lost 2-1. "It is a mini derby against Werder, though. It would be great if Wolfsburg could get something there."

If everything goes as expected, however, Bremen will go into the mid-season break on 36 points, a tally also targeted by Slomka. "With 33 points at the moment we've had a good season so far. We now want to add to that and go into the winter break with a good feeling."

Schalke skipper Marcelo Bordon returns from suspension and will start at the Schüco Arena, though Slomka wasn't saying who will make way for him. "We have another training session on Friday. Anything can happen, so I don't need to make a decision just yet."

Lincoln is a good example of how quickly things can change. The Brazilian has an inflamed knee and has been ruled out of Saturday's game. Soren Larsen (ankle) and Gerald Asamoah (broken leg) are also sidelined. Halil Altintop should be available to face Bielefeld, though. The Turkish international was forced to pull out of training on Thursday with a tight calf, but should be fit for Saturday.