FC Schalke 04

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Bundesliga, Matchday 22 | PREVIEW
Schalke – Bayern Munich

The big match of the weekend taks place at the Veltins Arena in what could be a make or break game for Schalke trainer Mirko Slomka. If media reports are to be believed, Slomka has two matches to save his job starting with Bayern on Saturday and continuing against Porto next week in the Champions League.

The Königsblauen have lost their way of late with two successive league defeats against Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg which has led to a section of the home fans calling for Mirko Slomka to be replaced and the board handing him the two-game ultimatum.

Leaders Bayern Munich will be looking to take advantage of Schalke’s woes and extend their lead at the top of the table, which currently stands at four points over Werder Bremen. The Bavarians were held to a 1-1 draw in the home game this season, so will want to go one better at the Veltins Arena.

Ottmar Hitzfeld’s side too are in the middle of a crunch period. They faced title rivals Hamburg last weekend and drew, and clashed with city rivals 1860 in the Cup on Wednesday needing a penalty at the end of extra-time to win. Next week they face Belgian side Anderlecht in the Uega Cup with a spot in the quarter finals up for grabs.

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Schalke 0 - 1 Bayern Munich

14' [0 - 1] M. Klose

Schalke 0-1 Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich finally secured their first win at the Veltins Arena thanks to a long-awaited first half goal from Miroslav Klose. The German international bundled home a precise cross from Frank Ribéry in the first half to secure a 1-0 win.

Miroslav Klose's first Bundesliga goal since 24th November 2007 sealed an important 1-0 win for leaders Bayern over Schalke at the Veltins Arena.

The pressure will now be mounting on Schalke trainer Mirko Slomka, who has seen his side now lose their last three league games.

The win was Bayern's first ever win at the Veltins Arena and maintains their four point lead at the top of the table over Werder Bremen.

The big team news for Schalke was the inclusion of winter signing Vicente Sanchez from the start. Carlos Grossmüller was drafted in to replace the suspended Jermaine Jones. The home side lined up in a 4-3-3 formation. Bayern rotated a little following their midweek Cup exploits. Lell, Jansen, Schweinsteiger, Demichelis, Ribéry and Klose came in with Martin Demichelis moving into midfield to cover for the suspended Mark van Bommel.

First Half

Schalke began brightly with Ivan Rakitic flighting in an inviting free kick on four minutes, but the Königsblauen forwards were unable to get on the end of it. A minute later and Heiko Westermann fired another freekick over the bar from 20 meters.

The home side had made the better start and on eight minutes, Sanchez burst through before laying the ball off to his Uruguayan team-mate Carlos Grossmüller, but the midfielder’s effort landed in the second tier of the stand behind.

On 12 minutes Ribéry danced his way past both Rafinha and Bordon before unleashing a dangerous shot, which Manuel Neuer had to fist away. Two minutes and Ivan Rakitic lobbed a shot over the bar after Sanchez had beaten Jansen to a cross ball.

Bayern then took the lead on 14 minutes with Miroslav Klose finally getting a league goal after Luca Toni had stolen all the thunder at the start of 2008. A superb piece of combination play saw Bastian Schweinsteiger play in Franck Ribéry. The Frenchman took the ball to the bye-line before picking out his pass to Klose, who bundled the ball over the line with his hip.

Ribéry was increasingly tantalising the Schalke backline. He skinned Grossmüller down the right before playing the ball to Klose, whose effort brought only a corner. Bayern were playing cleverly, looking secure at the back and attacking quickly whenever they won the ball.

On the half hour mark Daniel van Buyten got his head to a Bayern free kick but his delicate flick was a hair’s breadth from hitting the back of the Schalke net. Schalke came back well and were themselves very close to a goal on 34 minutes when Lucio deflected a shot from Heiko Westermann. The ball went inches wide with Oliver Kahn stranded going the other way.

Schalke were having their best phase of the game and were increasing the pressure on Bayern. The Königsblauen forced a series of corners but Bayern managed to survive this period of pressure and then created the final chance of the half. Schweinsteiger played in Ribéry, who beat the offside calls to square the ball but nobody was there to benefit for the away side.

Schalke began the first half well, but then were pressed back after the opening goal. Bayern waited patiently for counter-attacking chances and were a constant threat with Franck Ribéry a particular danger.

Second Half

Both sides came out unchanged at the start of the second period. Franck Ribéry was quickly back into the action. The winger raced down the left on a counter-attack before lofting the ball goalwards, only to see it loop over Manuel Neuer and then wide.

On 55 minutes a Luca Toni header flew just over the bar following a Bayern corner. Mirko Slomka then decided to make a double change with Zé Roberto and Halil Altintop coming on for Ivan Rakitic and Vicente Sanchez.

Bayern saw a huge chance go begging on 64 minutes with van Buyten hitting the crossbar. Manuel Neuer made a superb reflex save from Luca Toni, but the Belgian defender was only able to guide the rebound onto the bar with his headed effort.

A weak headed back pass from Krstajic almost let in Klose but luckily for Schalke the German international screwed his shot just wide. Königsblauen captain Jose Bordon then missed a good chance heading narrowly over after a great cross from Rafinha.

The game hit a lull going into the final ten minutes with Schalke knowing they had to get a goal and Bayern knowing that all they had to do was close the game out. On 81 minutes Zé Roberto fed Rafinha and the Brazilian forced Oliver Kahn into a good save for a corner.

Bayern however held on to secure the 1-0 win and heap more misery and a third successive league defeat on Mirko Slomka.


Schalke: Neuer, Rafinha, Bordon, Krstajic, Westermann, Ernst, Grossmüller, Rakitic (Zé Roberto 61), Asamoah, Kuranyi, Sanchez (Altintop 61)

Bayern Munich: Kahn, Lell, Lucio, van Buyten, Jansen, Demichelis, Schweinsteiger, Altintop, Ribéry (Ottl 78), Klose Schlaudraff 84), Toni

Attendance: 61,482

Referee: Herbert Fandel

Goal.com - Bundesliga - Klose Goal Seals Bayern Win At Schalke

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Schalke captain Marcelo Bordon has launched a scathing broadside at his fellow team mates ahead of the club’s crunch Champions League second leg clash with Porto, by questioning their commitment.

The Brazilian centre back has attempted to motivate his fellow players by accusing them of not giving their all to the Königsblauen’s cause.

Schalke have hit a rough patch of late with three successive league defeats and pressure growing on trainer Mirko Slomka. These latest comments from Bordon just go to highlight the disunity within their ranks.

"Maybe this is a good situation for us" Bordon said. "Now we see who the team can rely on and who it cannot.

"Everybody has got to ask themselves what percent they have been giving.

"I am not the type to criticise individual players, but those I am talking about certainly know for themselves that they have not given 100%."

Wednesday evening’s game at the Estadio do Dragão in Porto gives Schalke the ideal opportunity to revitalise their season and take some of the pressure off of their under-fire coach.

They lead 1-0 from the first leg, but will require a huge effort from everybody to make it through to the quarter-final stage.

"I cannot decide the trainer’s future by myself, but we need success and wins" Bordon explained.

"If we get past Porto, then he will stay, otherwise it will be difficult for him. I hope he stays. Just saying the coach is good is not enough; we have to do more on the pitch.

"We have now got to concentrate rather than talk about everything which is going on around us here, otherwise we are dead."

Goal.com - Schalke - Bordon Fires Up Schalke Ahead Of Porto Test

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After Saturday's 0-1 defeat at home to league leaders Bayern, Schalke's season is in imminent danger of disappearing without a
trace. The team from Gelsenkirchen known as the Royal Blues have one more chance to redeem their season on Wednesday when they take on Porto in the second leg of their Champions League tie, with the match becoming a make-or-break game for Mirko Slomka as the pressure increases.

Now in sixth place in the league, last season's runners-up need to get their league form back on track if they are to retain any hope of making another return to the Champions League next season. Last years the management elected to steer a course of evolution over revolution after the squad just missed out on the title by losing their form right at the end of the season, allowing Stuttgart to sneak the league trophy on the penultimate match-day.

The arrivals of Ivan Rakitic and Carlos Grossmueller in the midfield, and Heiko Westermann for the defence, suggested that retaining the core of the team with these additions would give Schalke, who have yet to win the Bundesliga in the modern era (since 1963), a good chance of going one better than last season. This season, though, hasn't progressed in the way that Mirko Slomka and the Schalke management have hoped.

Schalke's relatively modest investments in the summer and again in the winter transfer window have failed to keep up with the pace of expenditure of their direct rivals for the Bundesliga. While no German team managed to match Bayern's investment last summer, with the exception of Stuttgart, all the summer arrivals helped strengthen the top German sides.

Going into the match against Bayern, most observers of the Bundesliga felt that Schalke has already squandered their chances of the title after their tepid performance against Bayer Leverkusen the previous weekend. Nevertheless a win against Bayern would have at least given Schalke second place, temporarily, and their slim titles hopes would still have existed.

However, the game was decided by a Miroslav Klose a goal in favour of the visitors and despite plenty of pressure from Schalke they were unable to prise a clear cut chance to really test Olivier Kahn.

That defeat to Bayern, their third home loss of the season and their second consecutive one after Wolfsburg left the Veltins Arena with all three points, increases the pressure on Mirko Slomka. Recent gossip around the club suggested that the Schalke board had already been looking for a new manager.

One would have thought that the Gelsenkirchen-based club would have learnt from the destabilising and demoralising effect it had on the Spurs team when it became clear that Martin Jol was simply counting down the days to his dismissal after rumours emerged of their discussions with both Jose Mourinho and Juande Ramos.

Recent Schalke performances have been extremely lethargic and although they pressurised Bayern in the second half they barely managed to force a chance out of the league leaders. Their game against Bayer Leverkusen was even worse when despite having had 2 days more to recover from their Europe tie in comparison to their opponents still managed to look more tired.

With main goal scorer Kevin Kuranyi having registered only two league goal since the resumption of the league after Christmas, both in the win over Stuttgart a month ago finding the back of the net has been an issue with only 1 goal in the last 3 games.

Along with Luca Toni, Kuranyi is one of the best natural finishers in the Bundesliga but playing with his back to goal, as he does often in the preferred Schalke 4-3-3 formation is not his natural game and in recent matches has cut a lone figure up front.

The lack of service to the former Stuttgart striker has arisen after the relatively poor form of the midfielders such as Peter Lovenkrands and Gerald Asamoah. Last season, they provided lots of excellent service from the wide areas for Kuranyi to thrive from. Also, expecting young Ivan Rakitic, still only 20 and in only his second full season of football, the first of which took place in Switzerland, to control the midfield in such a competitive environment is probably expecting too much.

The defence has also proved problematic, with both centre backs Krstajic and Bordon missing at times in the middle, whilst the loss at left back to injury of Christian Pander has undoubtedly been a big one. Furthermore young goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has suffered from 'second season syndrome' after forcing his way into the first team at the expense of Frank Rost. This season Neuer has struggled to find the form of last season making several costly errors including being badly placed for Friedrich’s cross last week against Bayer Leverkusen, which cost Schalke all 3 points.

Schalke's performances against their fellow big five teams (Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Hamburg and Werder) leave something to be desired, and with league appointments outstanding at Hamburg and Werder, Schalke have so far only managed a paltry 4 points from a possible 18 on offer. Their ability to turn draws at half-time into wins is the worst in the league with only 1 win and 3 draws on the 8 occasions that this has happened.

With their league hopes in tatters and even next season's Champions League hopes shaking, the match on Wednesday against Porto assumes even greater importance. On their day Schalke can be a match for many teams, but their current league form suggests that even with a 1-0 lead from the home leg Slomka's men will have their work cut out to qualify for the quarter finals.

A defeat against the runaway Portuguese leaders, who rested several of their key players prior to their trip to local rivals Boavista, would almost certainly see Slomka's dismissal turn from rumour to reality and leave Schalke with only qualification for next season's competition to think about.

Goal.com - Editorial/Comment - Schalke's Season In Danger Of Sinking

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Schalke coach Mirko Slomka will bench Uruguayan striker Vicente Sanchez and Croatian playmaker Ivan Rakitic against Porto this evening, according to reports

The Königsblauen went down 1-0 at home to Bayern Munich at the weekend - their third straight Bundesliga defeat - and the pressure is now well and truly on boss Slomka and the players to deliver the goods against Porto this evening.

Schalke take a 1-0 lead to Portugal thanks to Kevin Kuranyi's strike at the Veltins-Arena, but Slomka appears set to ring the changes ahead of tonight's rematch.

Jones Is Back

Battling midfielder Jermaine Jones, who missed the weekend's game through suspension, is certain to return to die Knappen's starting XI this evening along with Georgian left-sided midfielder Levan Kobiashvili.

Two stars who disappointed at the weekend, new signing Sanchez and talented playmaker Rakitic will be dropped to the bench as Schalke dump the 4-3-3 and return to the 4-4-2 that most of the squad seem to prefer.

Defensive Wall

Slomka is intending to put Fabian Ernst alongside Jones and Kobiashvili to make a three-man defensive midfield 'wall' in the hope of securing Schalke's first ever appearance in the Champions League quarter finals. Porto, after all, need at least one goal to progress. "If we can keep a clean sheet for a long time, we'll get our chances on the break," said the boss. "I believe we'll get through - and then we can say Schalke are one of the top eight clubs in Europe."

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Porto 1-0 Schalke (1-1 agg) (1-4 pens)

Schalke upset the odds with a smash and grab penalty shoot out win to knock out Porto at the Estadio do Dragao.

Schalke booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a penalty shoot-out win over Porto.

The German side defended for their lives for 86 minutes before Lisandro levelled the tie on aggregate with a superb effort. Porto were reduced to ten men following a red card for Fucile but that just seemed to inspire the Portuguese.

There were no further goals in the extra period so penalties were needed. Manuel Neuer was the hero saving from Bruno Alves and Lisandro to see Schalke through.

The big guns returned for Porto after Jesualdo Ferreira rested a number of key players for the weekend clash with Boavista. Gerald Asamoah had a slight back strain so was not risked from the start. Ivan Rakitic also dropped to the bench as Mirko Slomka opted for a more defensively solid midfield line-up.

First Half

A cagey opening few minutes saw both sides involved in a kind of chess match, which was understandable considering what was at stake for the two protagonists.

Porto however soon took over the initiative and spent the rest of the first half on the front foot. With just two minutes on the clock full back Bosingwa unleashed a shot, which looked relatively harmless. Manuel Neuer in the Schalke goal however made a hash of it before palming the ball away from the incoming Sektioui.

Porto continued to press forward and the increasingly impressive Bosingwa let rip with an ambitious effort after 11 minutes only to see his effort screw well wide. Porto then had two gilt-edge chances I quick succession, but were unable to beat Neuer.

On 12 minutes the young German keeper pulled off a superb save from Lisandro after the on-form striker had been played in well by Lucho Gonzalez. With the ball not fully cleared a cross came in from Bosingwa, and Sektioui was denied a goal when Neuer flung out an arm instinctively to save for a corner with the crowd on their way up to celebrate the first goal.

Porto were beginning to turn up the heat with one-way traffic in the direction of the Schalke goal. They were dominating possession and the Germans did well to survive the opening 15 minutes with their narrow lead intact.

On 19 minutes Quaresma demonstrated good skill before feeding Lucho Gonzalez, but the Argentine’s shot flew wide of the goal. There was little of note from Schalke from an attacking point of view, but they were soaking up the pressure well and were making life difficult for the home side.

A rare moment of Schalke danger saw two long-range efforts from left back Heiko Westermann, but neither troubled Helton too much. Chances were becoming rare for Porto and the Königsblauen continued to soak up everything that was thrown at them with Bordon dominant at the back.

Schalke had certainly succeeded in quieting the home fans down with Porto lacking the sparkle to break down a resolute defence. It wasn’t until the 37th minute before Manuel Neuer was called upon to make another save. Quaresma let fly, Neuer pushed the ball out rather than away, but Mladen Krstajic was on hand to clear the danger.

Second Half

Schalke started the second half brightly with Porto still looking far from a side urgently needing a goal. Meireles however tried to get the ball rolling for Porto, feeding Alves who decided to shoot from long range. His effort was weak though and well gathered by Neuer who had not been overly troubled in the game.

Porto were then dealt a blow when right back Bosingwa was forced off early in the second half after looking to strain his hamstring as he looked to put in yet another cross.

On 54 minutes Schalke keeper Manuel Neuer pulled off his third superb save off the match to deny Sektioui for the second time. A chipped free kick from Quaresma found Lucho Gonzalez, whose headed lay-off fell invitingly to the Tunisian. His goal-bound header had him wheeling away in celebration, only for Neuer to spread himself and save with his foot.

Shortly after Sektioui was substituted, and then sat on the bench looking dazed as to how his headed effort had been kept out. Schalke continued to defend and with Porto huffing and puffing, the German defence held firm and seemed happy to hoof the ball away.

On 65 minutes Porto keeper was extremely lucky not to be sent off following a save he made clearly outside the penalty area. Kevin Kuranyi let fly after some confusion in the Porto rearguard. A flying save from the Porto keeper was clearly outside the area, but was not spotted by either the referee or the linesman.

The home side then had a big shout for a penalty on 79 minutes when Krstajic misjudged a tackle on Farias, but referee Howard Web waved away their appeals. Two minutes later and matters went from bad to worse with a straight red card for left back Fucile.

A two-footed challenge with studs showing on Levan Kobiashvilli led to the referee pulling out a red card rather than a more lenient yellow. That blow was however soon forgotten when a moment of brilliance from Lisandro on 85 minutes brought the all-important goal for Porto.

A Schalke clearance hit Lucho Gonzalez, and Marcelo Bordon and Mladen Krstajic, who had kept him under control for the whole game, allowed Lisandro a yard of space and he punished them with a curled shot past Manuel Neuer.

A Schalke half chance in stoppage time was blocked by Helton meaning that the game went to extra-time.

Extra Time-1st Period

Despite being down to ten men, Porto started the first period of extra-time playing better football than they did with a full compliment. Ricardo Quaresma dribbled past Bordon, before seeing his shot blocked. Farias latched onto the loose ball but the ball is cleared.

Carlos Grossmüller unleashed a great shot with 100 minutes on the clock but Helton saved nicely. A minute later however and it was Manuel Neuer again, who denied Porto with a superb instinct save.

An error from Krstajic saw Quaresma through one-on-one, but the winger failed to make his mind up early enough, and Neuer saved well with his feet to deny the winning goal.

Right at the death at the end of the first period of extra-time and Halil Altintop fired in a dangerous shot, but Helton saved well.

Extra Time- 2nd Period

The second half of extra time got underway with both sides looking for the goal that would save a penalty shoot-out. Substitute Cech attempted unsuccessfully to lob Neuer, while Asamoah fired a shot horribly wide.

Despite the man advantage Schalke were not pressing and seemed content to settle for a penalty shoot-out. That attitude was very nearly punished by Quaresma but again Neuer was on hand to save the day again. Heiko Westermann had a late chance but the game wound down to the dreaded penalty shoot out.

Penalty Shoot-Out

· 0-1 Rafinha

· 1-1 Lucho Gonzalez

· 1-2 Rakitic

· 1-2 Bruno Alves (saved)

· 1-3 Altintop

· 1-3 Lisandro (saved)

· 1-4 Jones

Goals: 1-0 Lisandro (86)

Line-ups:

Porto: Helton, Bosingwa (Mariano Gonzalez 54), Pedro Emanuel, Bruno Alves, Fucile, Paulo Assunção, Raul Meireles (Cech 96), Lucho Gonzalez, Sektioui Farias 58), Quaresma, Lisandro

Subs not used: Nuno, João Paulo, Kazmierczak, Adriano

Schalke: Neuer, Rafinha, Bordon (Höwedes 115), Krstajic, Westermann, Ernst, Grossmüller (Rakitic 112), Jones, Kobiashvilli, Altintop, Kuranyi (Asamoah 79)

Subs not used: Schober, Varela, Lövenkrands, Vicente Sanchez

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It's great news for German football. Congrats to Schalke.

Neuer was undoubtely Man of the Match. Brilliant goalkeeping that day.

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Bundesliga, Matchday 23 | PREVIEW
Arminia Bielefeld – Schalke

Following their fantastic penalty shoot-out victory over Porto on Wednesday night, Schalke return to Bundesliga action as they visit Bielefeld looking to put an end to a run of three successive defeats.

The fact that they come up against a team in free-fall will give them even more confidence of picking up a valuable three points, but they will have to avoid the dangers of complacency or a Champions League hangover as so often is the case.

Bielefeld’s point last weekend against Rostock brought to an end a run of five consecutive losses, but trainer Michael Frontzeck is still awaiting his first win since replacing Ernst Middendorp as the Bielefeld trainer.

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Schalke general manager Andreas Müller has called on the Königsblauen to build on their midweek Champions League success with a win over Bielefeld in the Bundesliga.

Schalke booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a penalty shoot-out win over Porto at the Estadio do Dragão on Wednesday.

The hard-fought victory over the Portuguese side has also bought trainer Mirko Slomka a stay of execution, with rumours abounding that he was for the chop if they had lost.

Müller now wants to see a knock-on effect on Schalke’s league form after three successive Bundesliga defeats. The Gelsenkirchen club face a trip to face a struggling Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday.

"I hope they can carry it over to the Bundesliga" he said. "I told the team in the locker room that Bielefeld will be waiting for us on Saturday.

"We are some points behind in the Bundesliga. The distance must not grow bigger by any means. We still have set our sights on the third spot" he added.

The Königsblauen currently lie sixth and are six points away from the third Champions League qualification berth.

Goal.com - Schalke - Müller Targets Third Place

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Arminia Bielefeld 0 - 2 Schalke

23' [0 - 1] G.A. Varela
74' [0 - 2] H. Altintop

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Schalke trainer Mirko Slomka was left to reflect on a very good week for him and the club after seeing the Königsblauen beat Arminia Bielefeld 2-0.

A first half goal from Gustavo Varela was added to by Halil Altintop handed Schalke all three points to end a run of three consecutive Bundesliga defeats.

The win caps a fine week for Mirko Slomka, who many thought could be out of a job before today’s game.

“We were dominant from the start and had a lot of possession” he said.

“Arminia were set up well to counter attack us and had the first big chance which luckily for us Manuel Neuer was able to save it.

“After we survived Bielefeld’s pressure phase in the second half and made it 2-0, then the game was over.

“This has been a very good week for the entire club” he added.

Goal.com - Schalke - Schalke Cap Good Week For Slomka

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Schalke 04 host MSV Duisburg in Friday's Bundesliga encounter. Both teams need the points, but for quite different reasons.

"This is a game that has to be won, no ifs and buts about it", said Schalke coach Mirko Slomka, with one eye on the teams' respective league positions and the other on his side's hectic schedule in the upcoming weeks.

Away win overdue

Stuttgart's win at Cottbus in their rescheduled match has made things really tight in the top third of the table", Slomka went on, explaining that, "As qualification for the Champions League remains our goal for the season, and with difficult games in Bremen and Hamburg among others yet to come, we have to see that we drop as few points as possible in the interim. And first and foremost, we must win our games at the Veltins Arena."

The statistics certainly favour Schalke: they haven't lost at home to Duisburg since going down 3-1 on 30 April 1994.

Trio injured

Slomka is keeping his cards close to his chest as to his starting line-up, and is in the fortunate position of having all but three of the squad at his disposal - Zlatan Bajramovic (foot injury), Markus Heppke (Shoulder injury) and Zé Roberto (torn muscle fibre).

Fabian Ernst and Rafinha both return from suspension, while long-term convalescent Christian Pander made a successful comeback at Bielefeld.

Bommer short up front</