Bundesliga 2007/08 ~ Champions: FC Bayern München - Page 12 - TalkSoccer

BlackNess · 27-10-2007, 02:34 PM

HT Arminia Bielefeld 0 - 0 Energie Cottbus
HT Hansa Rostock 0 - 0 Karlsruhe
HT Hertha BSC 2 - 0 Bochum
HT Schalke 1 - 1 Werder Bremen
HT Stuttgart 0 - 0 Bayer Leverkusen
HT Wolfsburg 2 - 0 Nurnberg

**Trim** · 27-10-2007, 03:52 PM

Saturday match results:

Arminia Bielefeld 1 - 1 Energie Cottbus

77' [1 - 0] J. Kamper
90' [1 - 1] D. Sørensen

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Hansa Rostock 0 - 0 Karlsruhe

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Hertha BSC 2 - 0 Bochum

26' [1 - 0] M. Maltritz (o.g.)
35' [2 - 0] M. Pantelic

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Schalke 1 - 1 Werder Bremen

14' [1 - 0] C. Grosmuller
34' [1 - 1] Naldo

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Stuttgart 1 - 0 Bayer Leverkusen

72' [1 - 0] A. Beck

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Wolfsburg 3 - 1 Nurnberg

30' [1 - 0] A. Charisteas (o.g.)
35' [2 - 0] Grafite
54' [2 - 1] Z. Misimovic (pen)
69' [3 - 1] A. Dejagah

**Trim** · 27-10-2007, 06:10 PM

With Bayern Munich not in action until Sunday, Werder Bremen, Schalke and Karlsruhe had the chance to close the gap temporarily. However all three were held to draws. Nürnberg’s recovery looks short-lived after defeat to Wolfsburg.

Schalke 1 Werder Bremen 1

This top four clash at the Veltins Arena was a fantastic advert for the Bundesliga. The match may have ended in a 1-1 draw but that was not the story of the whole game. A titanic battle between the two title challengers saw Carlos Grossmuller fire the Königsblauen into a 14th minute lead with a great free kick.

As the game swung back and forth Brazilian centre back Naldo headed Bremen back into the game after 34 minutes. The match developed into a classic Bundesliga tie with both sides going all out for the win.

The second half saw Sanogo miss an open goal, Fabian Ernst denied a penalty, and plenty of goal-mouth action. In the end neither side deserved to lose this fantastic match.

VfB Stuttgart 1 Bayer Leverkusen 0

Stuttgart finally put an end to their terrible run of form with a valuable win over Bayer Leverkusen at the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion.

It took a 72nd goal from fullback Andreas Beck to overcome Leverkusen, who are now in a mini crisis of their own after only gaining one point from their last four games.

In a rather lucky win, VfB took advantage of a clearly tiring Bayer side to secure a most vital three points. A midweek trip to Paderborn in the German Cup will give them a chance to build upon this success.

Hertha Berlin 2 VfL Bochum 0

Two first half goals for Hertha were enough to seal the three points at home to Bochum.

In a game low on clear cut chances, the home side were gifted their opening goal when Marcel Maltritz put through his own net after 26 minutes. A second by Pantelic ten minutes before the break sealed all three points for the capital club.

Bochum now find themselves in the bottom three.

Bielefeld 1 Energie Cottbus 1

Cottbus rescued a point away to Bielefeld with a last gasp equaliser from Denis Sörensen. The Dane headed in a Skela free kick in stoppage time.

Jonas Kamper had looked to have sealed the points for the home when firing in on 78 minutes. The away side although pleased with the point, remain rooted to the bottom of the table.

VfL Wolfsburg 3 Nürnberg 1

Nürnberg’s recovery appears to be short lived. After their 5-1 win last weekend, Hans Meyer’s side went down to a 3-1 defeat at the Volkswagen Arena at the hands of Wolfsburg.

A Charisteas own goal set the home side on the way to victory on the half hour mark with Grafite firing in the second four minutes later. Misimovic pulled one back for the visitors ten minutes after the break, but Ashkan Dejagah put Felix Magath’s side in full control with a third on 67 minutes.

Hansa Rostock 0 Karlsruhe 0

Karlsruhe missed the chance to climb the table and back into second place with a goalless draw at Rostock.

The visitors were the better side in an average game but were unable to convert the chances the created and Rostock held out for a point.

Goal.com - Germany - Bundesliga Round-Up: Stuttgart Finally Win, Schalke And Werder In Titanic Draw

**Trim** · 28-10-2007, 08:20 AM

With Bayern Munich not in action until Sunday, Werder Bremen, Schalke and Karlsruhe had the chance to close the gap temporarily. However all three were held to draws. Nürnberg’s recovery looks short-lived after defeat to Wolfsburg. Wolfsburg extended their unbeaten run to six, while Cottbus remain bottom after their 1-1 draw with Bielefeld.

Schalke 1 Werder Bremen 1

Mirko Slomka: “The win was there for either side. Both teams had big chances in the second half.

“I was a bit annoyed that we gave away the lead and defended too deep. It was a great game for the spectators, but we are a little disappointed with the result. However, Bremen were worth their point” he admitted.

Thomas Schaaf: “It was a very intense game, which had everything. There were tackles, chances and two sides that wanted to attack in order to find the decisive goal” said the Werder trainer.

“Both teams have to be happy with the point. For us it’s important that we have continually improved” he added.

VfB Stuttgart 1 Bayer Leverkusen 0

Armin Veh: “It was clear that after our recent defeats we were going to have difficulties” he admitted.

“I wanted my players to fight and they did just that. Now and again you need a bit of luck, but will still have a lot of work to do.”

Michael Skibbe: “We are going home very surprised, because we had some very good opportunities to take one if not all three points” he explained after the game.

“The problem was the same as it was on the first day of the season. We simply didn’t make enough out of the numerous chances we created.”

Hertha Berlin 2 VfL Bochum 0

Lucien Favre: “For me the win was fully deserved. I am happy with the performance of my players. At the start we were a little too nervous, but going 1-0 up we gained in self-confidence.

“Also a typical goal from Marko gave us more security and with our counters we could have scored more, but the decisive pass was lacking.”

Marcel Koller: “I’m naturally disappointed, above all because we have lost again due to individual errors. We spoke about that after the last game. After the own goal, everything we discussed went out of the players heads, the players were in shock.

“In the second half we were unable to play produce the power upfront in order to turn the game. Hertha played a very clever tactical game in this period.”

Bielefeld 1 Energie Cottbus 1

Ernst Middendorp: “The 93rd minute was not decisive. We had enough chances to decide the game before that. This is not a new problem, we’ve been doing this for a while. I am very unhappy.”

Bojan Prasnikar: “In the end we had a bit of luck. To score our first goal away from home is a success, but we wanted more. We had many problems in midfield.”

VfL Wolfsburg 3 Nürnberg 1

Felix Magath: “Today’s success was deserved, even though we didn’t make the most of our opportunities. After Nürnberg’s goal, we didn’t wobble. A goal like that at the start of the season would have thrown us off track.”

Hans Meyer: “Up till now we’ve been more commanding away from home. That wasn’t the case today. It wasn’t an unlucky defeat- it was fully deserved. “If you give a team like Wolfsburg with their quality players that much room, you shouldn’t be surprised when you are beaten.”

Hansa Rostock 0 Karlsruhe 0

Frank Pagelsdorf: “We played a very strong Karlsruhe team today, who were far more secure on the ball than us. We made far too many mistakes, especially in the first half.

“If you have two or three good chances, you have to take them. Bayern Munich need just one chance. But a point is a point.”

Edmund Becker: “Of course we would have preferred two more points, but we should be grateful. We were the technically better side today, but we lacked precision.

“When you look at how well we played, a point isn’t enough reward for our efforts. But when you look at the chances Rostock created, we have to be happy.”

Eintracht Frankfurt 0 Hannover 0 (Fri)

Friedhelm Funkel: “Sharing the points is the right outcome. Tonight wasn’t a great game. It was dominated by tactics, and nobody was able to find any room. After the 5-1 loss it was important to regain some stability. We did that.”

Dieter Hecking: “My team deserved their point because they did more in the game. Frankfurt as the home team had no real chances. I’d hoped that we would have played better but for a goalless draw is okay.”

Goal.com - Bundesliga - Bundesliga Saturday Reactions

**Trim** · 28-10-2007, 08:22 AM

Dortmund take on Bayern, Duisburg host HSV. bundesliga.de offers the latest information on Sunday's Bundesliga matches.

No team, not even "FC Bayern's world-class team", will end a Bundesliga season unbeaten, according to BVB chief executive officer Hans-Joachim Watzke.

More than 80,000 fans

And Borussia Dortmund certainly hope to hand FC Bayern their first defeat sice April 28 (1-2 against HSV) when they entertain the leaders on Sunday (17:00).

The Signal Iduna Park will be sold out with more than 80,000 fans when Bayern come to town for their third away match in a week, just three days after their UEFA Cup visit to Belgrade.

"If we don't improve we will lose"

"If we don't improve we will lose in Dortmund", Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said after the fortunate 3-2 win in Belgrade. "We have to give everything there to keep our run going."

Borussia have fond memories of January 26 when they came back from 2-1 down to beat FC Bayern 3-2.

"We mustn't think about Bayern's team. We might not be able to match them over the course of the season, but in one match everything is possible", BVB coach Thomas Doll insisted.

Toni back, Ribery out

Bayern are expected to have Martin Demichelis and Luca Toni back from injury, but Franck Ribery is likely to miss out again.

17-year-old Toni Kroos could once again make the squad after being involved in Bayern's two late goals in Belgrade, but he could also return to the reserves who play Karlsruhe's second string on Sunday.

Dortmund will be without long-term absentees Alexander Frei and Sebastian Kehl.

Captain back on board?

HSV hope for captain Rafael van der Vaart to return when they visit Duisburg.

Coach Huub Stevens wasted no time to remind everyone of the upcoming Bundesliga match after the UEFA Cup win in Bergen. "it will be a difficult game", the Dutchman warned.

MSV poor at home

But HSV have won six out of their last nine matches in Duisburg, losing just once, and MSV have already lost four times at home this season.

"We have a lot of respect for HSV, but we're not afraid", insisted MSV coach Rudi Bommer, who has just extended his contract until 2010.

Line-ups as expected:

Dortmund: Weidenfeller - Degen, Wörns, Kovac, Dede - Tinga - Blaszczykowski, Kringe - Federico - Petric, Klimowicz

Bayern: Rensing - Lahm, Lucio, Demichelis, Jansen - Altintop, van Bommel, Ze Roberto - Schweinsteiger - Klose, Toni (Podolski)

Referee: Markus Merk (Otterbach)

Duisburg: Starke - Lamey, Fernando, Schlicke, Caceres - Tararache, Maicon - Tiffert, Georgiew - Ishiaku, Lavric

Hamburg: Rost - Boateng, Reinhardt, Mathijsen, Atouba - Demel, Kompany - Trochowski, Jarolim, Zidan (van der Vaart) - Olic

Referee: Michael Kempter (Sauldorf)

**Trim** · 30-10-2007, 06:16 PM

Sunday match results:

Borussia Dortmund 0 - 0 Bayern Munich

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Duisburg 0 - 1 Hamburger SV

37' [0 - 1] V. Kompany

**Trim** · 30-10-2007, 06:18 PM

Borussia Dortmund gave Bayern a real game this afternoon at the Signal-Iduna Park, but neither side could find a way through in an entertaining goalless draw.

Elsewhere Hamburg defeated Duisburg 1-0 to leap-frog Werder Bremen into second place.

Borussia Dortmund 0 Bayern Munich 0

An absorbing game at the Signal-Iduna Park in front of over 80,000 passionate fans finished goalless as Dortmund and Bayern huffed and puffed, but couldn't find the vital breakthrough.

Ottmar Hitzfeld welcomed back Martin Demichelis and Luca Toni in the team following the bouts of flu, while Sosa came into the midfield to replace the injured Ribéry. Dortmund’s Wörns had to settle for a place on the bench as Thomas Doll kept faith with Markus Brzenska.

Both teams started very brightly with the first ten minutes flying by at an extremely lively tempo. Tackles were fiercely competed although chances were rare.

The first shot on target fell to Mladen Petric, who fired straight at Rensing with five minutes on the clock. As the game developed, the passing improved and the tempo slowed a little.

Twenty minutes in and Bayern tested Weidenfeller in the Dortmund goal for the first time. His free kick from the left forced the keeper to punch out, and then less than a minute later the German international fired over from a central position.

Dortmund fans hearts were in their mouths on 37 minutes when Martin Demichelis tried his luck from long range. Weidenfeller was beaten but the ball luckily came back off the crossbar. Klose on the follow-up fired over grazing the bar on the way.

Minutes into the second half and Miroslav Klose showed his first moment of danger robbing the ball on the half way line before bearing down on the Dortmund goal only for Weidenfeller to advance well and block with his legs.

Lucio fired a shot in from long range on 56 minutes which rather fortunately fell to Luca Toni. However the Bundesliga joint top scorer failed to make proper contact and Weidenfeller saved easily. Less than 60 seconds later and Petric fired narrowly wide of Rensing’s post.

The 62nd minute brought the clearest chance of the game thus far with Tinga playing an incisive pass in the Bayern penalty area to Blaszczykowski which split the defence. One-on-one with Rensing, the Pole fired inches wide of the Bayern goal with the whole stadium expecting a goal.

Three minutes later and the Dortmund pressure on the visitor’s goal mounted with first Buckley forcing a good save from Rensing, and then Kringe firing the rebound onto the post. The home side continued to pressure the league leaders and Valdez then fired over making it four missed opportunities in the space of ten minutes.

Bayern were forced to defend deeper and deeper under constant Dortmund pressure but held out for a draw as an entertaining game ended 0-0.

Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller, Degen, Dede, Brzenska, Kovac, Tinga, Blaszczykowski (Klimowicz), Kringe, Buckley, Petric, Valdez (Federico)

Bayern Munich: Rensing, Lell, Jansen, Lucio, Demichelis, van Bommel (Ottl), Zé Roberto, Sosa (Altintop), Schweinsteiger, Toni (Podolski), Klose

MSV Duisburg 0 Hamburg 1

Hamburg’s Belgian international Vincent Kompany scored his second goal in two games to move Hamburg up to second in the table.

In a game were HSV were clearly the better side, Kompany's goal was all that separated the sides. Duisburg now have the second worse home record in the league.

The home side relied on long balls forward and sat deep in defence as they frustrated Huub Steven's team for long periods of the first period. The breakthrough finally came on 37 minutes, with Piotr Trochowski firing a free kick against the bar from 25 meters. Kompany was on hand to volley in the rebound to add to the goal he scored on Thursday in the Uefa Cup.

The second half saw HSV as the more attack minded side, with Mathijsen and Reinhardt untested at the back. Hamburg climb to second place with the win, while the Zebras remain in the bottom three.

0-1 Kompany (37)

MSV Duisburg: Starke, Lamey, Fernando, Schlicke, Willi, Tararache, Tiffert, Georgiev, Maicon (Lavric), Idrissou (Mokhtari), Daun (Molders)

Hamburg: Rost, Boateng, Reinhardt, Mathijsen, Atouba, Demel, Kompany, Trochowski, Jarolim (Benjamin), Zidan (Choupo-Moting), Olic (Brecko)

Goal.com - Bundesliga - Dortmund Hold Bayern, Hamburg Climb To Second

**Trim** · 30-10-2007, 06:23 PM

02.11.07, 20.30h
Energie Cottbus : FC Schalke 04

03.11.07, 15.30h
Werder Bremen : Hansa Rostock
Bayern München : Eintracht Frankfurt
Bayer Leverkusen : Arminia Bielefeld
1. FC Nürnberg : VfB Stuttgart
Hamburger SV : Hertha BSC
Hannover 96 : Borussia Dortmund

04.11.07, 17.00h
VfL Bochum : VfL Wolfsburg
Karlsruher SC : MSV Duisburg

Bundesliga Table

**Trim** · 30-10-2007, 07:16 PM

Table after MD 11:

1. Bayern München - 27 pts
2. Hamburg SV - 23 pts
3. Werder Bremen - 21 pts
4. Karlsruhe SC - 20 pts
5. FC Schalke 04 - 18 pts
6. Hannover 96 - 18 pts
7. VfL Wolfsburg - 16 pts
8. Hertha Berlin - 16 pts
9. Eintracht Frankfurt - 16 pts
10. Bayer Leverkusen - 15 pts
11. Borussia Dortmund - 14 pts
12. VfB Stuttgart - 13 pts
13. Arminia Bielefeld - 12 pts
14. Hansa Rostock - 11 pts
15. FC Nürnberg - 9 pts
16. VfL Bochum - 9 pts
17. MSV Duisburg - 9 pts
18. Energie Cottbus - 5 pts

Champions League
Uefa Cup
Intertoto Cup
Relegation

Top scorers after MD 11:

> Luca Toni > Bayern München > 8 goals
> Miroslav Klose > Bayern München > 8 goals
> Rafael van der Vaart > Hamburg SV > 7 goals
> Boubacar Sanogo > Werder Bremen > 6 goals
> Mladen Petric > Borussia Dortmund > 6 goals
> Marko Pantelic > Hertha Berlin > 6 goals

**Trim** · 01-11-2007, 09:02 PM

Another busy round of Bundesliga action gets underway this weekend following on from the midweek Cup exploits, with Bayern Munich looking to keep up their formidable start to the season against Frankfurt.

Hot on their tails however are Hamburg and Werder who both have home games where three points are on offer. Elsewhere, Stuttgart will be aiming to continue to climb out of their mini-crisis with a win over fellow strugglers Nürnberg.

Energie Cottbus - Schalke

Cottbus and Schalke kick things off on Friday when they clash at the Stadion der Freundschaft. New Cottbus trainer Bojan Prasnikar has yet to win any of his four games so far this season and the Lausitzer currently occupy bottom spot in the Bundesliga with only 5 points to their name. A home tie with title challengers Schalke will not be an easy task.

Having been knocked out by Rot-Weiss Essen in the first round, the home side were not in action on Wednesday, so should be fresher than their opponents. Whether that extra freshness is enough to overcome the Königsblauen remains to be seen. Schalke won last season’s fixture 4-2.

Mirko Slomka’s side beat Hannover in extra-time on Wednesday which followed on from a highly entertaining draw last Saturday against Werder. They currently lie fifth nine points behind leaders Bayern, despite the fact they have lost only once. Too many dropped points has given them plenty of room to make up.

Werder Bremen – Hansa Rostock

Werder are one of the form teams in the Bundesliga at the moment and will be looking for another three points against Hansa on Saturday. Thomas Schaaf’s side have won five of their last league games and have also had recent victories in the Champions league and German Cup. The only team to have stopped them grabbing all three points recently was Schalke last week when the two drew 1-1 in a highly entertaining match at the Veltins Arena.

Hansa are currently 14th just two points above the drop zone. Frank Pagelsdorf has a number of injury worries to concern himself with ahead of Saturday, although he will have been boosted by the club’s 6-0 midweek German Cup win over Kickers Offenbach.

Last week saw the Ostseestädter draw with Karlsruhe to add to their previous week’s point against Schalke.

Bayern Munich – Eintracht Frankfurt

A rare thing happened on Sunday at the Signal-Iduna Park in Dortmund- Bayern failed to score. That was the first game this season that Ottmar Hitzfeld’s side had failed to find the back of the net thus far this season. However the Bavarians returned to scoring ways with a 3-1 midweek cup win over historical rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach with their prolific duo of Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose both on target.

Frankfurt lost to Dortmund in the cup, so only have the Bundesliga to concern themselves with this season. ‘Die Adler’ recovered last week from their 5-1 mauling the previous week, to secure a goalless draw with Hannover. Friedhelm Funkel would no doubt be absolutely delighted with a point from his side’s visit to the Allianz Arena.

Bayer Leverkusen – Arminia Bielefeld

Bayer trainer Michael Skibbe will be disappointed his side are not higher in the table after showing much promise last year. They are currently in a poor run of form following four defeats and one draw in their last five league outings. Last weekend’s defeat to Stuttgart was put down to fatigue following their UEFA Cup exploits, but with no German Cup fixture midweek following their elimination at the hands of St. Pauli, they should be fresh and ready for their Saturday clash with Bielefeld.

Ernst Middendorp’s side were as high as second in the league earlier in the season but have since slipped to 13th. After their 8-1 humiliation at the hands of Werder Bremen Bielefeld lost to Hamburg, and drew twice against Karlsruhe and Cottbus. The club now find themselves in a fight against dropping any further down the table after going six league games without a win.

Nürnberg – Stuttgart

Two of the Bundesliga’s more successful teams from last season both find themselves in a quite different situation this time around.

Cup winners Nürnberg are hovering just above the bottom three and were sent crashing out of the Cup on Wednesday by Carl-Zeiss Jena. Hans Meyer’s side have baffled many this season with their poor showing in the league. An apparently convincing 5-1 win over Frankfurt two weeks ago had given the impression that a recovery was on the cards, only for ‘der Klub’ to slump to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Wolfsburg last weekend, and then be stunned midweek by the second division outfit.

Reigning champions VfB find themselves down in 12th and put an awful run of five consecutive defeats behind them last weekend with a narrow 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen. Armin Veh’s side were given a scare however in midweek needing extra-time to get past SC Paderborn in the Cup. If the Leverkusen win was a boost, the performance in the cup, will have made it clear that the crisis is far from over for the Swabians.

Hamburg – Hertha Berlin

Bayern’s closest challengers face Hertha Berlin at the HSH-Nordbank Arena. Huub Stevens’ side are currently riding the crest of a wave with nine wins in their last ten games and find themselves just four points behind Bayern Munich. They have also shown they are more than a one man team, as influential skipper Rafael van der Vaart has been missing since the international break with an injury although he is now ready to return. A 3-1 win over Freiburg on Wednesday has seen the Hanseaten advance to the last 16 of the German Cup.

Lucien Favre sees his Hertha side nestling comfortably in mid-table. Five wins have been mirrored with five defeats and a single draw. The capital club were sent tumbling out of the Cup in midweek by Wuppertaler SC, which was the big shock of the second round. Their recent home form has been better than their away form, so HSV should be confident of gaining another three points.

Hannover – Borussia Dortmund

Hannover and Dortmund’s meeting at the AWD-Arena will give both sides the opportunity to grab three important points. The home side are currently just below the top five and will not want to fall behind the pack chasing the European qualification berths. However the Reds need a win after drawing a blank in their last two Bundesliga outings and then falling at the hands of Schalke in the German Cup on Wednesday.

Dortmund were impressive last weekend against Bayern, when they were unlucky not to have inflicted the first defeat of the season upon Ottmar Hitzfeld’s side. More composure in front of goal was needed. Thomas Doll’s side also need the points following a run of only one win in the last six league games, which has seen them slip to 11th.

Bochum – Wolfsburg

Bochum are another side in free-fall after early season promise. VfL have not won in the league since the 24th August and have secured only two points from a possible 24 in the last eight games. They were also sent crashing out of the Cup by second division Alemannia Aachen in the week to put even more pressure on trainer Marcel Koller.

Felix Magath on the other hand seems to be slowly stamping his mark on Wolfsburg. ‘Die Wölfe’ have climbed up to 7th in the table and are undefeated in their last six games. A 1-0 win over Karlsruhe in the Cup was another example of their recent turn up in form.

Karlsruhe – Duisburg

Despite a recent down-turn in form, Karlsruhe remain in the top four. After three straight wins, the Wildparkstadion club have not won in any of their last three games, and will be concerned with putting a stop to any slide down the table. A Cup defeat to Wolfsburg in midweek means that they will be extra determined to gain three points on Sunday.

Duisburg are currently second from bottom in the Bundesliga with eight defeats to their name already this season- more than any other team. Rudi Bommer may call new signing Roque Junior into the side to bolster the Zebras defence.

Goal.com - Germany - Bundesliga Weekend Preview: Round 12

**Trim** · 02-11-2007, 12:27 PM

Friday's Bundesliga matchday 12 opener pits Schalke 04 against Energie Cottbus - two sides desperate for three points for different reasons.

Cottbus won their first home encounter with Schalke on a snow-covered pitch in February 2001. Their resounding 4-1 victory knocked the season's "peoples' champions" off the top of the table.

Relegation battle

FC Energie have gone 14 league games without a win, while losing only one of four under new coach Bojan Prasnikar. He has no illusions about the task facing his side on Friday: "Schalke got a good result in the cup after having a few disappointing ones elsewhere recently. And if one or other of their players is off form, they are a team with plenty of alternatives."

"Focus more on the essentials"

The Bundesliga tailenders have no intention of going down without a fight, however, and are looking to take something from their encounter with the "Royal Blues." Prasnikar says his players "Have to focus more on the essentials on the pitch." Jiyai Shao is still recovering from an injury to his left ankle and misses the game. Also out injured are Steffen Baumgart and Ovidiu Burca.

Gerhard Tremmel strengthened his case to start between the posts for Cottbus with his performance last time out, at Arminia Bielefeld. "I was very happy with him in Bielefeld", said Prasnikar.

Chasing the leaders

Schalke have won none of their last three outings and only one of their last seven away games in the league, while remaining unbeaten on the road. In their four most recent games, they have failed to score more than once and not scored at all after the break.

Coach Mirko Slomka is far from complacent about Friday's game, saying, "It's always tricky in Cottbus, they are a fighting side, as their fans demand."

Take control of the game

"I expect my team to go flat-out", says Slomka, "We have to seize the initiative early on and get a goal as quickly as possible."

Schalke will be without Christian Pander, who suffered a ligament strain in their cup game against Hannover 96, with Heiko Westerman his likely replacement at left-back. Mesut Özil has resumed training, however, and could play in Cottbus. Definitely back in the frame is Zlatan Bajramovic, who sat out a red card suspension against Hannover.