week 14 - match preview

Schalke out to make amends against Gladbach

With the last international week behind them, the Royal Blues are now entering the final straight of 2008. Fred Rutten's men have six games in the next 24 days. The first sees them host Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday (1530 CET).

The last time the two clubs met in the Bundesliga on 7 April 2007, goals from Gerald Asamoah and Kevin Kuranyi eased Schalke to a 2-0 win. The Royal Blues are looking for a similar result this time. "We've prepared well for the game", said Rutten, who has bolstered his work on the training ground with some extensive analyses of video footage.

"If they need to, Mönchengladbach are capable of working very hard for 95 minutes", the Dutchman said. "One thing is clear. They aren't coming to Schalke simply to have a good time. On the contrary, they'll be in confident mood after taking four points from the last two games.

"Gladbach are in good form, especially in the fitness department", said Rutten. He should know, after all, having worked with Borussia boss Hans Meyer at FC Twente for more than three years in the late 1990s. "I'm not expecting an open game. Gladbach will sit back and wait for an opportunity to break. So we'll have to make use of any space on offer", he continued.

Rutten then turned his attention to Borussia's main threat. "Marko Marin is a creative, technically gifted footballer. Sometimes he comes up with things no one else would think of." The Schalke boss was reluctant to say too much about the opposition, though, preferring to concentrate on his own team instead. "We weren't good in Leverkusen, but that's in the past. I always think positively. Against Mönchengladbach we now have the chance to make amends for the two defeats against Bayern and Bayer, games we didn't have to lose.

"At training today the players were focused on the job in hand against Mönchengladbach, but they were also relaxed. At the end of the session we combined quality with a bit of fun. Sometimes that's important mentally", explained Rutten.

The Royal Blues formed a small circle and played 13 against 2. "I think the goalkeepers were in the middle the most", he revealed with a grin. The main purpose of the exercise was for the players to practice playing in the tightest of spaces. Something they will need to do on Saturday.