week 20 - match preview

Rutten hopes fans will provide additional derby motivation in Bochum

Head coach Fred Rutten is looking forward to Schalke's visit to Bochum on Saturday, the first of two local derbies in a week for the Royal Blues. "These games are always a bit special. Anything can happen", the Dutchman said.

"Past matches have repeatedly shown that you need to give 120 percent, not just a hundred, if you want to take all three points. The fact that Bochum are next to bottom at the moment doesn’t mean we're favourites because a) both teams are really up for the game and b) any result is possible in the Bundesliga this season", he continued.

The 46-year-old made one thing absolutely clear, though, saying he was wasting no time thinking about possible unbeaten runs: "We want to win. I'm not interested in anything else at the moment. What happens next week ahead of the Dortmund game is in the future. We're taking each game as it comes. The next one is the first and most important one."

The support of the Schalke fans makes Rutten confident his side will secure a win in Bochum. "Last season I watched the Bochum game from the stands and saw Schalke win 3-0", he recalled. "Apart from the match itself I was fascinated by the Schalke support. Although it was an away game the stand was practically full of Schalke fans."

Marcel Maltritz and Anthar Yahia, who formed the centre-back pairing for Bochum that day and have also done so in recent games, will not be available for selection on Saturday. Both players ruptured knee ligaments in Wolfsburg last week.

Yet Rutten vehemently denied this would be an advantage for the Royal Blues. "When important players are ruled out of local derbies and other players are given an opportunity in their place, the replacements usually play beyond themselves. But I prefer to concentrate on my own players' strengths", he explained. Nevertheless, the Schalke coaching staff have been paying meticulous attention to Bochum's style of play and likely starting line-ups.

When it came to his own tactical plans, however, Rutten was keeping his options open. He therefore refused to be drawn on who would come into the starting eleven for the suspended Jermaine Jones. "There are lots of possibilities. We might bring someone into midfield, but then again we might play with an additional striker. But I'll be discussing it with my coaching team first before I make any announcements," he concluded.