round 3 - match preview

Slomka wary of "unpredictable" Wolfsburg

Schalke's head coach is glad. "It's finally time to get started", said Mirko Slomka on the eve of his team's first competitive game of 2008, the third round DFB Cup tie at VfL Wolfsburg on Wednesday (kick-off 1930 CET). "We're up for it and the mood in the team is good", the 40-year-old continued.

Yet the Royal Blues are anything but complacent about the job in hand. "We have to keep our concentration", explained general manager Andreas Müller. "The game is hard enough as it is. We cannot afford to underestimate our opponents."

Slomka described Wolfsburg as "an unpredictable side". The team has taken on a completely new look since Felix Magath took charge in summer 2007, with a further six new players arriving during the winter break. Slomka said: "My colleague made a lot of changes in the warm-up matches. So we don't know for sure who's going to be in the starting line-up on Wednesday."

Nevertheless, the Schalke boss was in no doubt about his side's aims for the cup-tie, saying: "We want to win in Wolfsburg again at long last." The Royal Blues have drawn four of their last five away fixtures against the Wolves and lost the other one. "We're aiming to improve a few things compared with recent games. Here I'm thinking primarily of our counter-attacking play and moving the ball forward quickly. We worked very hard on these things during the winter break and started putting them into practice in our warm-up matches."

Although the Royal Blues could only draw twice in Wolfsburg in 2007, they had the better of the match statistics on both occasions. In the league meeting earlier this season, for example, Schalke registered 33 attempts on goal compared with just 12 for the home side, recalled Slomka. "We really should have won. This time I'd be happy with fewer chances, provided we take them, so we have a comfortable lead in the closing stages, if possible." The Schalke boss is sure of one thing: "If we keep a clean sheet, we'll win."

Although the club management have attached priority to the league, this doesn't mean the DFB Cup is not important. "If you have the chance of winning a trophy, you have to go for it. And that includes the DFB Cup." Especially as Slomka was able to sample the flair of a cup final at the Olympic Stadium in 2005. "We should do everything we can to get to Berlin."