Schalke ready to deepen Bayern’s wounds

Schalke 04 takes on Bayern Munich in this weeks Bundesliga’s top match. The Royal Blues will be looking for a repeat of last season’s result- a 1-0 victory. Bayern are sixth in the league and almost out of the Champions League after Tuesday’s 2-0 defeat at home against Bordeaux.

“It won’t be an easy game, but it’s definitely possible to beat Bayern,” said Schalke striker Jefferson Farfan at the club’s website.

“Great clubs like Bayern, who have such good players, are always under pressure. However, we’re only focusing on ourselves; their problems on the field are of no concern to us. We’ll just try to get the best possible result in Munich.”

Dutch coach Louis van Gaal, who feels the heat in the Allianz Arena after a weak start of the season will be able to call up some fresh legs as Belgian centre half Daniel van Buyten returns from his calf injury. Another boost for Van Gaal’s suffering side is the return of fully recovered Arjen Robben, who will reclaim his spot in the starting line up.

Striker Luca Toni is set to grab a spot ahead of Mario Gomez and Thomas Muller will return in midfield after his Champions League suspension.

Van Gaal gave his players a rare day off on Thursday to flush the midweek defeat out of their system, knowing that a defeat against Schalke would make his position uncomfortable.

“The day off is for the heads to clear and turn to focus on Schalke,” van Gaal told reporters. “This is a crucial match which we must win.”