week 2 - match preview

Schalke to rely on pressure and pace against Aachen

Special matches call for special measures! Ahead of Saturday's visit to Alemannia Aachen one of the men that head coach Mirko Slomka turned to for some extra advice was Willi Landgraf, who now plays for Schalke's second team after spending seven years with the newly promoted club.

This is because Schalke are entering new territory on Saturday. They did play a pre-season friendly at the Tivoli stadium just over two years ago, winning 3-0 with goals from Mike Hanke, Lincoln and Ebbe Sand, the match was watched by just 3,587 fans. On Saturday, however, it will be Aachen's first home game in the top flight for 36 years, and the 21,300 sell-out crowd are sure to turn it into a genuine spectacle.

"Aachen scored more goals in the first 15 minutes of each half last season than any other team", notes Slomka from his analysis of Saturday's opponents. "They are really pumped up when they come out of the dressing room". So what do Schalke need to do? "Aachen find it difficult if they're put under pressure and the game is played at a high tempo. That's what we need to do to stop them getting up a head of steam." One thing the Schalke boss will not do is judge Aachen on their 3-0 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen. "I talked to Willi Landgraf about that and he said we should forget the Leverkusen game. Things are totally different at the Tivoli - the dressing rooms, the fans, the tightness of the ground - you have to adjust."

Schalke are not lacking in confidence, though, according to Slomka. "We won plenty of away games last season, so why should this match be any different for us? We need to be focused from the outset. Then we'll create chances in Aachen just as we do anywhere else. And when we do, we've got to take them!"