round 2 - match preview

Slomka out to avoid "cup battle" in Cologne

The game has all the hallmarks of an exciting night of cup football: a sell-out crowd, an evening kick-off (2030 CET) under floodlights and Schalke as clear favourites in a 'first against second division' clash. "We're expecting a white-hot atmosphere", said head coach Mirko Slomka ahead of Tuesday's second-round cup-tie at FC Cologne.

"It could turn out be a real cup battle, though we'll be trying to stop that happening." The strategy going into the clash against the side currently sitting in fifth place in the second division is clear: Mirko Slomka expects his players to keep a tight ship at the back and take any chances that arise to gain an early advantage. "This is what we've done in the Bundesliga recently. We have to dominate the game from the opening whistle and cannot allow Cologne a sniff in the tackle."

Although Hanspeter Latour's side are two points away from a promotion spot at present, Slomka is sure Cologne will come straight back up again. "Obviously they've lost a bit of momentum up front since the injury to Patrick Helmes, but we shouldn't underestimate them", he added. Slomka intends to approach the game as if it were a normal Bundesliga fixture. "Cologne have a good defence; we'll need to be creative going forward to break them down."

The injury situation shows little change from Saturday's league game against Hannover 96. Mathias Abel (knee surgery), Gerald Asamoah (broken leg), Fabian Ernst (pubic pain syndrome) and Soren Larsen (knee) are definitely ruled out. Slomka does not expect the Danish striker to return until the top-of-the-table clash with Bayern Munich on 5 November at the earliest. Larsen has also been suffering from muscular problems recently and will not resume full training until after Sunday's away trip to VfB Stuttgart. A decision on whether Marcelo Bordon will feature in the squad for Cologne will not be taken until after training on Monday afternoon.

Last year the Royal Blues went out at the second-round stage following a 6-0 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt, but Slomka says the result no longer has any relevance. "It's of no consequence at all, especially as we aren't up against Frankfurt in any case", the 39-year-old said. The theory that says Schalke could atone for their early exit in the UEFA Cup by winning in the cup is also irrelevant, according to Slomka. "That competition is over for us. There's nothing we can atone for there now. We now have to ensure we go as far as we can in the DFB Cup and stay in contention in the Bundesliga."