Week 30 - Match preview

Royal Blues fired up for run-in

The Schalke team coach set off on its way to the next away game on Thursday, one day earlier than usual. An extended training camp ahead of Saturday's visit to Hannover 96 (1530 CET) is the reason for this, not the recent defeat against Bayern Munich.

"We would have done so even if we'd won," head coach Felix Magath explained. While the players normally travel the day before an away fixture, the aim now is to gather strength for the Bundesliga run-in. "We want to get the maximum return from our current situation," emphasised Magath. With five games left, he does not know yet what that return will be. The task on Saturday, however, will be to take three points off a team who need every point they can get in the battle against relegation. "That will be difficult enough," the 56-year-old said.

After making a poor start to the second half of the season, it is as if the Lower Saxony outfit had gone to training camp last week and given themselves a new lease of life. Magath said: "Hannover showed in Hamburg that they will fight against the drop with everything they have. They definitively have the potential to stay up."

At the other end of the table the battle for the Champions League places is hotting up. Schalke's objective is clear: "We want to win, even though it will be difficult, to get back on track quickly after the defeat against Bayern," he continued. The Royal Blues may be helped in their quest by the fact that former Schalke coach Mirko Slomka has said three points are a must for his side. "We aren't easy to play against away from home," said Magath. "I hope my team know how well they are capable of playing on the road and how successful they have already been at picking up away points. I'm confident we'll put in another good performance in Hannover."

There might be a part in this for Rafinha. The Brazilian was forced to sit out training for two days due to a cold but boarded the coach along with his team-mates.

After the final whistle on Saturday the focus will turn to Leverkusen, where in Bayer and Bayern two of Schalke's rivals will do battle at 1830 CET. The Munich outfit are in the semi-finals of the Champions League, which according to Magath is not only good for the Bundesliga clubs who are involved in Europe, but also an advantage for Leverkusen. "Reaching the semi-final against a team of the calibre of Manchester United is obviously a great success," he said. "The Champions League is taking a lot of attention, which gives Leverkusen a chance to get a result at the weekend."