Schalke coach Huub Stevens may need to revise his modest targets for the season if his side can continue its impressive form against visiting Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich today.
The Dutchman said his team is “fighting for third place.” But Schalke’s only blip on an otherwise perfect start to the season has been a 2-2 draw at Hannover on the opening weekend.
That followed a comfortable 5-0 win over Saarbruecken in the first round of the German Cup.
On Tuesday, Schalke beat Greek champions Olympiakos 2-1 to start a Champions League campaign with a win for the first time in five attempts.
A day later, Bayern beat Valencia 2-1 to extend their season-opening winning run to six games.
“There’s a fire burning inside when you haven’t won anything for two years,” said Bayern attacker Thomas Mueller, overlooking his side’s German Supercup win over Borussia Dortmund in August.
Also today, defending champions Dortmund visit Hamburg SV with the team unbeaten in 31 games and closing in on the bottom side’s record of 36 set in January, 1983.
“Hamburg will give everything. We’re prepared for that,” Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp said at Thursday’s news conference.
Dortmund also got their Champions League campaign off to a winning start, Robert Lewandowski sparing Mats Hummels’ blushes for missing a penalty by scoring late for a 1-0 victory over Ajax on Tuesday.
“The champions are coming at just the right time,” Hamburg’s under-pressure coach Thorsten Fink told Kicker magazine. “ Today we’re rank outsiders who can only surprise.”
All three German teams in the Champions League had a penalty miss before winning their games, and Schalke striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar - who missed one against Olympiakos - was keen to focus on Bayern.
“The meeting is extremely important for us, to measure ourselves and see where we stand,” the Dutchman told Schalke’s website. “They’re playing well and have already scored a lot of goals this season. It’s a super team. But we shouldn’t be looking at the opposition. What’s important is what we can deliver.”
Huntelaar played with a cold against Olympiakos and missed training on Thursday as his condition failed to improve.
Jermaine Jones is also a doubt for the home side after the US midfielder limped off in the last minute of Tuesday’s win with a left ankle injury.
Stevens admitted their absences would be a blow but called on his side to be “courageous.”
Schalke have only one win and two draws to show from their last seven league meetings with Bayern in Gelsenkirchen.
“I hope we’ve learned from the last games against Bayern,” Stevens said.
Bayern are awaiting news of Franck Ribery’s condition after the French winger was substituted at halftime against Valencia with a recurrence of the muscular problems which kept him out against Mainz last weekend.