week 5 - match preview
Schalke out to force Bayern mistakes - and then exploit them
Schalke 04 have already ended two negative runs this season. The next is set to follow at Bayern Munich this Saturday.
"In the Bundesliga we've yet to score at the new stadium in Munich. That has to change", said Mirko Slomka in no uncertain terms. The Schalke boss has taken confidence from the way the season has gone so far. Because at VfB Stuttgart the club's record in terms of points and goals was even worse. But a 2-2 draw on the opening day of the season saw the Royal Blues take a point there for the first time in a while. And despite going behind in both Stuttgart and Wolfsburg, neither game ended in defeat. "We only managed that once last season", said Slomka.
The 40-year-old also has statistics to hand to demonstrate what makes the game in Munich a genuine challenge. For all the praise that is heaped on the Bayern attack, people often forget how well the defence has stood up so far: "Oliver Kahn has only had five shots on his goal this season. So you don't get many chances in Munich." For their part Bayern don't need many opportunities. In Hamburg they found the target despite having just six attempts on goal. "That's very effective", said Slomka.
On the other hand, Schalke have failed to keep a single clean sheet during the current Bundesliga campaign. "That's something we haven't got right yet", feels Slomka. "Obviously it would be a big step forward if we could manage it in Munich." In Mladen Krstajic (knee) and Mathias Abel (cruciate) the Royal Blues will be without two defenders. "On the positive side Heiko Westermann has looked in fine shape in training during the international break."
In addition, it remains to be seen whether Christian Pander can play. The left-sided defender was forced to withdraw from Germany's friendly with Rumania on Wednesday due to a bruised thigh. Pander is set to do running work on Thursday and resume full training on Friday.
Slomka is convinced the Royal Blues can hold their own in Munich. "If we can mount some pressure and keep the tempo high, even Bayern players will make mistakes - it'll then be up to us to exploit them. Hamburg put them under incessant pressure last time out and forced the equaliser. We can adopt a similar approach."
One thing the Royal Blues won't be doing, however, is attaching too much importance to Saturday's outcome as far as the rest of the season is concerned. "We've shown we can compete", said Slomka, looking back to the first few games. "The league isn't won after five matches."
