week 31 - match preview

Slomka also banking on good defensive form again in Bochum

On Friday (27.4.), Schalke can set the pace again in the battle for championship - as long as they win away to VfL Bochum. This match is a challenge for Slomka's men not only because VfL have the Bundesliga's current top scorer in Theofanis Gekas.

Schalke have generally fond memories of Bundesliga matches in Bochum, having already won there twelve times - more than on any other first division team's ground. In the 2000/2001 title race, though, the Royal Blues had to settle for a 1-1 draw. The matches since then at the Castroper Strasse ground, on the other hand, ended with 2-0, 2-1 and 2-0 wins for S04. The match in the VELTINS Arena also finished 2-1-for Schalke. In that match Gekas scored the goal for the guests.

For the match in the rewirpowerSTADION, coach Slomka expects "a similarly tactical formation from the opponents as in our last matches: One striker up front in Gekas, with a second striker in Joel Epalle hanging back". In addition, they have two attacking players on the wings: Dennis Grote is a very quick, Zvjezdan Misimovic a technically very good player. The situation is therefore obvious: "I expect them to play a counter-attacking game. But as they are playing at home, they will also have to do something to entertain the crowd".

Slomka has no plans to take any exceptional measures to deal with the league's best and recently very successful striker. The fact that Gekas has scored in each of the last six games doesn't worry the coach: He presents a different set of statistics: "Just look at our strong defensive work. We haven't conceded a goal in our last three matches, and that against such good strikers as Zidan in Mainz or Radu against Cottbus who was even substituted. We are also on a streak at the moment".

Whereas Schalke had the job of taking top place off Werder Bremen again who had played the previous day last weekend, they can set the pace again this weekend. VfB Stuttgart is away to Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday, while Werder Bremen is away to Arminia Bielefeld on Sunday. But Mirko Slomka doesn't attach any great psychological significance to that fact: "We just have to win our matches, whether on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Our position on that score hasn't changed over the last few weeks: It's not a question of waiting for one of the others to slip up - we just have to put on a good performance ourselves".