FC Schalke 04

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Well done. If they could only get a much bigger win.

They haven't settled anything yet though, they should be careful in Madrid.

It's going to be tough, they will be without Farfan.

[Dragoen]

Originally Posted by Vargas_4

Good game from Schalke.

They could have easily won this 2-0

They should have.


Now they will get problems in Madrid. Because then Atletico will have Aguero back. This will be really hard for Schalke.

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Bundesliga 2008/09, Matchday 1 / PREVIEW:
Schalke 04 – Hannover

Another new trainer takes charge of his first Bundesliga match at the Veltins Arena with Dutchman Fred Rutten on the bench for Schalke as they take on an ambitious Hannover side.

Former Twente Enschede coach Rutten has been chosen to replace former trainer Mirko Slomka and will be expected to mount a serious title challenge this season as well as reproduce last year’s success in the Champions League.

There should be a Bundesliga debut for summer signing Orlando Engelaar as the Königsblauen look to get their season off to a positive start at the Veltins Arena, but Jefferson Farfan is injured.

Schalke were in action in midweek beating Atletico Madrid 1-0 in their Champions League qualifier, so may be a little more match-ready than their opponents.

Hannover however will provide a tricky test for Schalke on this first weekend of the season. Dieter Hecking has strengthened his side during the summer with forwards Jan Schlaudraff and Mikael Forssell as well as centre back Mario Eggimann. They managed a 1-1 draw last season at the Veltins Arena on Round 31 when Schalke were in the middle of a good run of form.

The loss of experienced full back Michael Tarnat with a thigh injury is a blow, but Christian Schulz should deputise admirably.

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Schalke 3 - 0 Hannover

2' [1 - 0] M.J. Bordon
7' [2 - 0] K. Kuranyi
64' [3 - 0] K. Kuranyi


A very good season start. Easy win, even without their new signings (starting players) like Farfan and Engelaar.

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Schalke this season are very strong.
They have a good squad , The new coach also is good.
I think that they will aim high to win bundesliga title.

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[ViDEO/HiGHLiGHTS] Schalke - Hannover , Bundesliga R1

YouTube - Schalke 04 vs. Hannover 96

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Schalke have problem for atl.madrid match.
3 Important players are out.
Jones Injured and will back at the end of the september.
Engelaar Injured and he may back in the end of august.
Farfan is injured and expected to back in the first of september.

Huge Loss For Them.

They Have 2 Important Matches . BL Against Bremen, CL Against AtL,Madrid.

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Bundesliga 2008/09, Matchday 2 / PREVIEW:
Werder Bremen – Schalke

The first meeting of the ‘big guns’ takes place at the Weser Stadion on Saturday as Werder Bremen entertain Schalke. Two genuine title contenders go head to head and these results against each other may have a huge bearing on their eventual title hopes.

Just like last season, Werder opened with a 2-2 draw away from home (to Bielefeld) despite the fact they should have won. Thomas Schaaf and Torsten Frings have been highly critical of the defence this week and that back four is sure to be put under pressure by the visitors this weekend.

Claudio Pizarro is expected to make his debut for the club after signing a one-year loan deal from Chelsea. This will be his second spell at the club and he will be hoping to add to his 100 Bundesliga goals and three league titles.

The Königsblauen maintained their momentum after their Champions League win over Atletico Madrid by beating Hannover last week. A brace from Kevin Kuranyi and one from Marcelo Bordon (all from set-pieces) set up the win and Fred Rutten will no doubt we wanting more of the same at the Weser Stadion. Jermaine Jones will be missing after injuring his ankle last week.

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"Matches in Bremen are always special"

Fabian Ernst played for Werder Bremen between 2000 and 2005. bundesliga.de spoke to the Schalke midfielder ahead of Saturday's top clash.

bundesliga.de: Fabian Ernst, Schalke started the season with a 3-0 win over ambitious Hanover. How do you rate the result?

Fabian Ernst: It's always good to start with a win, but we mustn't overrate it. It was just the first step. Hanover surely have a good team, but we were able to show our strengths and took our chances consequently.

bundesliga.de: Were you especially motivated with both Farfan and Engelaar out injured?

Ernst: We're always motivated, and we have a big squad to cope with injuries. Every player who gets his chance wants to prove himself. That's good for the team and it shows on the pitch.

bundesliga.de: Jermaine Jones has added his name to the injuy list. How difficult is it to cope with all those drop-outs?

Ernst: Of course it's a blow that we already had so many injuries this season, but that's what we have a strong and balanced squad for. Our bad luck with injuries should come to an end at one time or another, however.

bundesliga.de: Schalke travel to Bremen on matchday 2. Werder surely want to improve after the draw in Bielefeld. What do you expect?

Ernst: The matches in Bremen are always special, not only because I played for Werder myself. Werder have been extremely strong at home in the last two seasons, but we have won there two years ago. That should also be our target for Saturday.

bundesliga.de: Claudio Pizarro has returned to Werder. You played alongside him years ago. Which role could he play for Werder?

Ernst: Claudio is a dangerous striker with a good goalscoring record. He has shown his qualities as scorer and provider for both Bremen and Bayern, and he can be important for Werder in that role.

bundesliga.de: Pizarro and a certain Fabian Ernst were on target when Werder beat Schalke 2-1 in 2001. Who will score on Saturday, and who will win?

Ernst: I never make any predictions. And I don't care who scores as long as we get the points.

Fabian Ernst (C) won the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen in 2004

Bundesliga - Die offizielle Webseite

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Krstajic Could Return Against Bremen

Mladen Krstajic is looking a good bet to be back in the lineup for Schalke for their trip to face Werder Bremen in the second round of the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Orlando Engelaar (knee), Jefferson Farfan (shoulder), Jermaine Jones (ankle) and Manuel Neuer (metatarsal) continue to out injured, however, while Rafinha is still in Beijing.

The Royal Blues will take on Werder high on confidence following their three wins in succession, so new Dutch coach Fred Rutten is relishing the next match.

"Bremen are a good side full of top-quality players, but we're in good form so it's going to be an interesting encounter," he told the club's official website.

"It's always good when you're well organised at the back. It gives the opposition the feeling that you're difficult to beat."

Rutten went on to discredit the thought that Werder will be at a major disadvantage without their star man Diego, who is still away on Olympics duty.

"They're a close-knit team and have enough good players who can slip into his role", the coach added, before also sparing a thought for the return of Claudio Pizarro to the Weser side from his English misadventure.

"He's a very good player who will add even more momentum to Bremen's attacking game. We'll need to suppress that as quickly as possible."

"The outcome of the season doesn't depend on this game. Nevertheless we'll obviously be trying to get a positive result."

Goal.com - Schalke - Krstajic Could Return Against Bremen

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Werder Bremen 1 - 1 Schalke

64' [1 - 0] T. Frings
84' [1 - 1] H. Westermann

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Westermann Saves Schalke

Werder Bremen 1-1 Schalke

In an entertaining match, visitors Schalke stole a point from hosts Werder Bremen. A chance-rich first half finished goalless, but Frings and Westermann grabbed one apiece in the second period.

Both sides made changes from their opening weekend fixtures. Foe Werder Pasanen came in for Clemens Fritz, while Claudio Pizarro was handed his debut after his midweek move from Chelsea.

Carlos Grossmüller got the nod from trainer Fred Rutten to replace the injured Jermaine Jones, but Mladen Krstajic had to settle for a place on the bench with Höwedes retaining his place alongside Marcelo Bordon in defence.

First Half

With Torsten Frings on fire early on, Werder Bremen forced the visiting Königsblauen back in the opening minutes of the game. Claudio Pizarro had a great chance to open the scoring after 7 minutes, but he failed to convert when one-on-one with Matthias Schöber.

After ten minutes Schalke came more into the game with Kobiashvili firing in a shot. That was the spark that got Fred Rutten’s side going and their all-round play thereafter was much better.

In heavy rain, Marcelo Bordon saw a header from a Pander corner flash just wide after 19 minutes, while Kevin Kuranyi also saw an effort go just wide after he had beaten Prödl in the air on 21 minutes.

Werder then stepped things up, but were finding it difficult to break down a resolute Schalke back line. At the back though the home side were looking far from secure and Altintop fired in an effort that Wiese had to parry, and Ivan Rakitic fired just wide of the top corner following a poor header from Pasanen.

After half an hour the visitors dominance seemed to disappear and Bremen were the more offensive side. A Pizarro header from the penalty spot caused Schöber some worry on 36 minutes, and the Schalke keeper had to be on his toes shortly after when Mesut Özil tested him and he turned a dangerous effort round the post with a fingertips save.

Second Half

Both sides began the second period unchanged and like in the first half, Werder began in the ascendancy and were winning the majority of possession. Clear-cut chances though were at a premium. Schalke seemed content to sit and look to hit Werder on the counter.

This tactic however back-fired on 64 minutes when Werder opened the scoring. Özil latched onto a long ball from Tim Wiese before dancing around Höwedes on the edge of the box. His diagonal ball to Rosenberg was dummied by the Swede, and midfielder Torsten Frings was on hand at the penalty spot to lash home and make it 1-0.

Schalke were shocked for a few minutes and found it hard to muster a reaction. Daniel Jensen had another chance for Thomas Schaaf’s side on 67 minutes before Rakitic caused problems with another well delivered corner on 69.

The closing phase of the game though saw Fred Rutten’s Schalke save a point. Substitute Vicente Sanchez volleyed just over from a tight angle on 78 minutes, but the equaliser finally fell five minutes from the final whistle.

Ivan Rakitic crossed a corner from the right which Benedikt Höwedes rose to meet in the middle. His header produced a fine save from Tim Wiese, but the loose ball was happily tucked away by Heiko Westermann from close range.

Goals:

1-0 Frings (64)

1-1 Westermann (85)

Werder Bremen: Wiese, Pasanen, Naldo, Prödl, Boenisch, Baumann, Frings, Jensen, Özil (Fritz 86), Rosenberg (Almeida 75), Pizarro (Sanogo 80)

Schalke: Schöber, Westermann, Höwedes, Bordon, Pander, Ernst, Grossmüller (Sanchez 77), Kobiashvili, Altintop (Asamoah 70), Kuranyi, Rakitic

Goal.com - Bundesliga - Westermann Saves Schalke

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Schalke hope Farfan may play in Madrid

Schalke fans were surprised to see Rafinha, who played in the Beijing Olympics and a trio of injured players turn out for training.


But head coach Fred Rutten was cautious: "We can't predict anything yet."

Engelaar is out

Jefferson Farfan managed some team training, but Orlando Engelaar und Jermaine Jones are still not ready to kick the ball about. It's definitely too early for the Dutchman to play in Madrid.

Engelaar, who has a knee injury, won't be part of the 22-man squad flying to Madrid on Tuesday. Other absentees will include Manuel Neuer (broken bone in his foot) along with Levan Kenia, Carlos Zambrano, Markus Heppke and Zé Roberto.

Jones and Farfan will travel

But Jermaine Jones and Farfan will be in Madrid for Schalke's Champions League game against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, 27 September. -

Whether they are part of the 18-man match squad is unsure. The same applies Ivan Rakitic who took to his bed with flu on Monday.

Rafinha, on the other hand, is back in Gelsenkirchen well and fit after playing in the Olympics. He is one of the 22 players making the trip to Madrid.

Bundesliga - Die offizielle Webseite

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CL Preview: Atlético Madrid – Schalke 04

What: Champions League Third Qualifying Round, Second Leg
Who: Atlético Madrid vs Schalke 04
When: 20:45 CET - Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Where: Vicente Calderon, Madrid

The Vicente Calderon is no stranger to shattered dreams and broken hearts, and come Wednesday night the home of Atlético Madrid is going to have another tale to add to it’s long list of sob stories. The stadium, along with all those in it, will witness ninety minutes or more of season defining football, which will ultimately end with the destruction of Champions League dreams for either Atlético Madrid or Schalke 04.

Der Steiger Kommt

With the first half of the tale already told there is little doubt that the dreams of the Germans are closer to reality than those of the Spaniards. For Fred Rutten and his side the mission come Wednesday night is simple; don’t lose. If they succeed in that then their 1-0 victory in the first leg will carry them through to the Champions League group stage and will leave Atlético yet again wondering what could have been.

Not that it is over for Los Rojiblancos by any means. Despite a nightmare performance in the Veltins Arena they somehow managed to walk away with just a single goal defeat, a deficit which they will be confident of overturning in their own stadium. Indeed, as if having a vociferous home support wasn’t enough help in doing so then they have also been granted a few other life-lines.

The first of which is the growing injury sheet of their opponents. Fred Rutten will be without the vital quartet of Manuel Neuer, Orlando Engelaar, Jermaine Jones and Mladen Kristajic, all of whom are sidelined for the match. He is also likely to be without Jefferson Farfan who injured his shoulder in the first leg, although there are signs that the Peruvian could yet play a part in the game.

Rich Pickings

Javier Aguirre on the other hand will have nearly a full team sheet to choose from and it is unknown yet whether he will even play his trump card, Sergio Aguero. The young Argentine may have brushed aside claims that he is the ‘saviour’ for Atlético, but there is little doubt that the morale of fans and team mates alike has been boosted by his return. Whether he starts or not after only flying back from the Olympics a few days ago remains to be seen, but it would be highly surprising if he did not play some part in the match.

Schalke have also seen the return of an Olympiad in the form of Brazilian defender Rafinha and they will no doubt take heart from the fact they have not lost once in their last eleven competitive matches. Indeed, the Germans currently sit second in the Bundesliga after two rounds of matches and looked very impressive as they swept aside Hannover 3-0 in their opening encounter.

Atlético on the other hand have continued their woeful pre-season by narrowly edging past Sporting Gijon on penalties in the semi final of the Copa Teresa Herrera and then getting deservedly beaten by Deportivo in the final. The only positive which Aguirre can take from the tournament is that the recalled Maniche performed well and even grabbed a goal, possibly putting himself in contention to play against Schalke.

With Schalke likely to play relatively defensively the return of Maniche couldn’t be timed better for Atlético, as neither Raul Garcia or Paulo Assuncao possess the same creativity as the Portuguese international. If he is on song and Aguero plays from the start then Fred Rutten and his side will certainly have a busy evening.

For the Germans it is likely to be a much less creative game plan but one which requires much less to succeed. If they score first then Atlético will have to score three to win the tie, a feat which, based on the first leg performance, looks nigh on impossible.

FORM GUIDE

Schalke:

1st August: Aachen 0 Schalke 4
9th August: Homburg 0 Schalke 3
13th August: Schalke 1 Atlético Madrid 0
16th August: Schalke 3 Hannover 0
23rd August: Werder Bremen 1 Schalke 1

Atlético Madrid:

2nd August: Alcala 0 Atlético Madrid 4
5th August: Atlético Madrid 4 Rayo Vallecano 2
13th August: Schalke 1 Atlético Madrid 0
18th August: Sporting Gijon 3 Atlético Madrid 3
19th August: Deportivo 2 Atlético Madrid 1

TEAM NEWS

Atlético Madrid

Javier Aguirre will yet again have the luxury of been able to pick his strongest eleven for this crunch match. The main decision for the coach will be whether Sergio Aguero starts the game or if he comes off the bench to possibly replace Florent Sinama Pongolle. If he does start then it is undoubtedly a gamble with the amount of games the Argentine has played but if he doesn’t then fingers could be pointed if Atlético crash out.

Another interesting selection could well be in midfield where previously outcast midfielder Maniche seems to be coming back into favour. The Portuguese international scored against Sporting Gijon last week and it will be intriguing to see whether having seemingly won Aguirre over again he will be selected.

Probable Starting XI: Coupet – Lopez, Heitanga, Ujfalusi, Perea – Simao, Raul Garcia, Assuncao, Maxi Rodriguez – Forlan, Aguero

Schalke 04

Fred Rutten will be without many of his biggest players for this key match including Manuel Neuer, Orlando Engelaar, Jermaine Jones and Mladen Kristajic. It also seems unlikely that Jefferson Farfan will play after injuring his shoulder in the first leg, although the coach has not ruled him out.

On a plus note the German side have welcomed back Rafinha from the Olympics by putting him into the squad for the match on Wednesday. Rutten has said he is unsure yet whether or not he will start the match but it seems likely that if fit he will slot in at right back.

Probable Starting XI: Schober – Pander, Bordon, Westermann, Rafinha – Kobiashvili, Ernst, Grossmuller – Kuranyi, Rakitic, Altintop

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Atlético Madrid

With so much resting on his young shoulders it will be hard not to focus on Sergio Aguero come Wednesday evening. The Argentinean international showed at the Olympics just why he is regarding as one of the most precocious talents in the world and Atlético should be a revitalized force with him the ranks. Last season his partnership with Diego Forlan was one of the most prolific in Europe and Aguirre will be hoping that they can quickly gel again to fire the team to the group stages.

The only concern for the coach will be whether or not the striker is fully fit after flying back from China just a few days ago. If he isn’t then starting him could be a gamble, but it might be one that at this stage Atlético will have to take.

Schalke

With an ever growing injury list Fred Rutten will be relying on one of his most consistent strikers to deliver the goods and send Schalke through to the group stages. Kevin Kuranyi has already found the net twice in the Bundesliga and as the front man in a defensive looking side he should fancy his chances in the Calderon. With his strong aerial abilities and good movement he was a constant menace to the Atlético Madrid defence in Germany and he will be hoping for more of the same in Madrid. The only worry for Rutten though is that with many of his more creative talents sidelined Kuranyi may find himself isolated upfront.

PREDICTION

With a packed Vicente Calderon behind them and Kun in the ranks Atlético will definitely fancy their chances of overturning a single goal deficit, but it will be important that they do not rush matters. Schalke aren’t likely to come out all guns blazing and will most probably play reasonably defensively and try to hit the killer blow on the counter.

If the Spanish side can improve on their performance in the first leg though and can find some creativity then they should take advantage of Schalke’s injury woes and progress to the group stages.

Goal.com - Champions League - CL Preview: Atlético Madrid – Schalke 04

[Vargas_4]

I wish them a lot of luck for tomorrow's match.

The more German teams in the CL, the better.