week 5 - match preview

Rutten targets continued improvement against Frankfurt

Fred Rutten is hoping his side can build on the momentum from the UEFA Cup and maintain their unbeaten run in the league when the Royal Blues host sixteenth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday (1530 CET).

"Frankfurt's league position is a bit deceiving", the Schalke boss said. This not only because Eintracht have played one game fewer than everyone else following the postponement of the match against Karlsruhe SC last week. To maintain their rhythm, Friedhelm Funkel's team organised a friendly against seventh-tier outfit FC Hanau 93 on Tuesday and strolled to a 15-0 win.

Though they have collected just two out of a possible nine points, Rutten feels Eintracht have offered impressive evidence that they can never be written off. "They got late equalisers against Cologne and against Wolfsburg", the 45-year-old pointed out. "That shows their morale is good. Frankfurt have some creative and technically gifted players, especially in attack. So we'll have to be extremely careful."

Nevertheless the Dutchman is confident his side will produce another good performance to follow on from their UEFA Cup exploits. "The players responded well to the unfortunate 3-3 draw in Dortmund", Rutten said. "Games like the one in Nicosia tell me we're on the right road. It's simply great to see how the team is coming on", he continued.

Rutten now expects the Royal Blues to secure their third successive home win with a mix of focus and flair. "We're at home so I want my team to play accordingly", he explained. "We're not going to be bossed around on our own turf."