week 29 - match preview

Royal Blues prepare for battle in Mainz

Mirko Slomka is expecting a hard-fought clash in Mainz on Saturday. But as well as being without long-term casualties Peter Lovenkrands and Ralf Fährmann, he will also have to cope with the loss of Sebastian Boenisch (muscle strain), Soren Larsen (sprained ankle) and Gustavo Varela, who is still in rehab training.

The Schalke boss is spoilt for choice in midfield, though. Fabian Ernst is back from suspension, as is Brazilian playmaker Lincoln, who is set to return to attacking midfield after serving a five-match ban for his dismissal against Bayer Leverkusen. And after a quality performance in the 2-0 defeat of Borussia Mönchengladbach, Mesut Özil is entitled to feel he is in with a chance of making the starting line-up: " I said after last week's game that it would be hard for me to drop him from the team and I stand by that", emphasised Slomka, before explaining why: "Mesut has the exceptional ability to settle a game on his own. He's incredibly assured on the ball, an elegant player who also defends well."

As for his final team selection, the Schalke boss said he intended to use the two training sessions on Thursday afternoon and at Friday lunchtime "to find the right blend of controlled attacking aggression and solid defending".

With Schalke in the running for the league title and Mainz fighting against relegation, Slomka is expecting a very exciting game in which the home side will look to exploit their qualities to the full: "They'll have been practising lots of counterattacks at their training camp with a view to feeding their leading goalscorer, Zidan. We'll also have to do well on the ground and move the ball around quickly so they can't close us down."

Yet the Royal Blues have plenty of weapons with which to hold their own. "Mainz have conceded eleven goals from crosses and we have a marginally better aerial presence," said Slomka, who has identified a further weakness in the home defence. "They've also conceded a few from distance, so we need to have the courage to shoot when we get the chance. It's important to have players in the team who can do that."

There is plenty at stake, after all. While Mainz have slipped to 17th place after three defeats in succession and will fight to the death to ward off the threat of relegation, three points would mean something completely different for Mirko Slomka: "A win could be a major milestone for us on the road to the league title."