week 34 - match preview

Büskens calls for one last effort in Nürnberg

Going into the final game of the season at FC Nürnberg this Saturday no one needs reminding just how important the fixture is. "All we have to do is tell the lads how Nürnberg tend to play and how we want to play ourselves", explained caretaker boss Mike Büskens. And Youri Mulder added: "A glance at the table is motivation enough."

Büskens is having none of the speculation that has been doing the rounds ahead of the game, however. "Some people have been saying they wish Nürnberg were already definitely relegated", he said. "Others are saying Nürnberg are under enormous pressure. But we won't know what effect the relegation battle is having on them psychologically, i.e. will it give them an added edge or will it make them freeze, until half past three on Saturday."

The job in hand is the same for both sides. A win is vital if they are to achieve their stated objectives. Nürnberg would still have a chance of staying up; the Royal Blues would take second place were Werder Bremen to slip up in Leverkusen.

Nevertheless, Büskens is preparing his players as if it were any other game. "All I'm asking them to do on Saturday is give it their all one final time.  Then they can go on a well deserved holiday.

To get the three points we're going to have to focus solely on ourselves and forget what's going on elsewhere for 90 minutes. We can only influence what happens in our own game anyway", he explained.

As far as tactics are concerned, the Royal Blues will be paying special attention to Jan Koller, who has shone as both scorer and provider since moving to Nürnberg. "The fact is that Koller is their target man when they look to get the ball forward. So we've come up with a few ideas to stop him. Our plan involves the whole team, however, not just the central defenders", said Büskens.

In conclusion the Schalke boss commented on the special relationship between the Schalke and Nürnberg supporters: "Before and after the game the fans can and should have a good time together. I think it's good that something like this exists. In recent times we've seen enough negative examples of what can happen when people aren't so friendly to each other", he said. "During the 90 minutes, however, we'll be trying to get the best possible result for our club."