Schalke set sights on Hamburg

A Bundesliga victory against Hamburger SV on Sunday would provide a fabulous end to a tough week for German UEFA Cup hopefuls FC Schalke 04.

Away trip
The fixture list has handed Mirko Slomka's men two big matches in the space of four days, and having won 3-1 against ten-man PFC Levski Sofia in Thursday's UEFA Cup quarter-final first leg, fourth-placed Schalke are now concentrating on closing the gap between themselves and second-placed Hamburg to one point. Goalscorer Gerald Asamoah was full of confidence after the victory in Bulgaria, saying: "If you score three goals away then you have to be happy. It was not our best match to start with but we got into it after their player [Cédric Bardon] was sent off."

Dual target
Slomka agreed. “At the beginning of the second half we played like a top team and deserved to win 3-1 in the end," he said. "It is a very good result as we saw until red card how strong Levski were. Now we have the goal of winning the UEFA Cup as well as finishing second or third in the Bundesliga."

Flying start
A run of six wins and two draws since replacing Ralf Rangnick in January marked an excellent start as Schalke coach for Slomka, but progress has slowed in recent weeks following a 3-0 defeat at FC Bayern München and 2-2 home draw with struggling VfL Wolfsburg. Rangnick's former assistant has been credited with giving the Gelsenkirchen side renewed spirit, but he now needs to prove he can lift the squad after those setbacks. "The players have put themselves under pressure," said general manager Andreas Müller.

Hamburg handicap
The pressure is also on Hamburg, whose last outing was a 4-2 home defeat by BV Borussia Dortmund. Coach Thomas Doll has the additional headache of having to replace the injured Daniel Van Buyten and the suspended Khalid Boulahrouz at the heart of one of Germany's best defences. However, Hamburg's Brazilian striker Ailton will covet the headlines as he encounters the team he played for last season, scoring 14 goals. "What happened at Schalke is not important any more," he said. "What is important is that we perform and keep clear of Schalke."

Supersub mission
In six games since signing on loan from Beşiktaş JK, Ailton has started three from the bench, and he sees no problem in doing so again. "When [Schalke defenders] Marcelo Bordon and Mladen Krstajić get tired, I will come on and stoke up the engine," said the chubby forward.