round 2 - match preview

Rutten in "luxury position" ahead of cup clash

Schalke entertain Hannover 96 in the DFB Cup for the third time in four seasons on Tuesday evening (2030 CET). And while the visitors have been badly hit by injuries, Fred Rutten can look forward to the game in relaxed mood.

"We on the coaching staff are in a luxury position", the Schalke boss said with regard to the current squad situation. "I'm deliberately not calling it a luxury problem because it's always nice for a coach when almost all your players are fit and well. That's not a problem at all."

The only players who aren't available for selection are the two goalkeepers, Manuel Neuer, who on Sunday in the fourth-tier Regionalliga played his first competitive game since breaking a metatarsal, and Mathias Schober, whose calf strain is healing well. "Manuel is progressing nicely", said Rutten. "But he won't play tomorrow. That's what I've agreed with him. We're checking every day to see how his body is responding."

Rutten's counterpart Dieter Hecking has major selection worries, however. The Hannover boss was without 15 players through injury or illness for the 4-0 defeat at Leverkusen last Friday, which left him hardly any scope for varying his tactics. Nevertheless, Rutten is sure Hannover will field eleven players. "And these eleven players will give their all."

Schalke registered an impressive victory over Hannover just a few weeks ago, but the 45-year-old doesn't believe that makes the task any easier. Quite the opposite: "Mentally it's a very dangerous game for us", he said. "We therefore have to show maximum concentration right from the start."

The Royal Blues have overcome Tuesday's visitors twice in the cup in the recent past, beating them 2-0 after extra-time in the second round of last year's competition and 3-1 in the quarter-final in 2005. So they will be looking to make it three in a row.

Some 50,000 tickets had been sold by Monday lunchtime, which means some are still available. These can be purchased from the Schalke ServiceCenter from 9 am to 6 pm tomorrow or at the ticket outlets outside the VELTINS Arena, which will open two-and-a-half hours before kick-off.