After a false start to the second-half of the season against Hamburg, recent games have brought Schalke some respite and much needed confidence. The away victory in Hannover was a fine result against one of Germany's form sides and it was hard-won, with Manuel Neuer and Christoph Metzelder's sterling work at the back paying off. However, it cannot compare to the spontaneous outpouring of joy upon wonderkid Julian Draxler's stunning 120th minute winner to knock FC Nuernberg out of the DFB-Pokal. Felix Magath believes the momentum will propel die Koenigsblauen to a third successive win:
"I see us having the upper-hand before the kick-off. Yes, we have a difficult 120 minutes of cup football in our legs but that's not such a big problem. We take a lot of momentum from the 3-2 win against Nuernberg. On the other hand, Hoffenheim lost and they also had to make the long trip home from Cottbus," he told the club's official website.
Lots of the talk in the aftermath of that cup win has of course surrounded Draxler, whose rise to first-team action has been meteoric. Having scored nine goals for the under-19 team, he made such an impression in the training camp out in Turkey that he was handed a start against Trabzonspor and subsequent appearances in competitive games. It will be interesting to see how he copes with not just higher expectations from the fans and the media but with the important role of providing some impetus down the left-flank. After all, he has been preferred to Jose Manuel Jurado, who did not come cheap.
Draxler has considerable potential as a player, which may or may not be realised as we've seen before with previous Schalke talents. As a team, Schalke have most certainly not delivered the results they are capable of. However, after writing off a European spot a fortnight ago, a place in the top five is very much back on the agenda:
"A win is absolutely necessary since we lost our most recent home game (in the Bundesliga) to Hamburg. We are looking towards the top of the table and we still have the European places in our sights."
Patience The Order Of The Day
Turbulent is a word that one would use to describe recent happenings at Hoffenheim, the club who outgrew the village after which they take their name. However, with the departures of Ralf Rangnick, Demba Ba and Luiz Gustavo behind them, Dietmar Hopp will be hoping for a quieter, less eventful and successful end to the season, with the football doing the talking. Hoffe have brought in some interesting replacements in David Alaba and Ryan Babel. The former Liverpool man debuted in the disappointing cup defeat in Cottbus and showed signs of what may be to come. Babel has since been joined by Edson Braafheid, who is looking forward to linking up with his compatriot:
We speak the same language and we are able to help each other. The combination between us could be very good. I have a good feeling about it," he told Hoffenheim's website.
Wednesday's surprise elimination at the hands of in-form 2.Bundesliga side Energie Cottbus was a setback the team could have done without ahead of the trip north to Gelsenkirchen and Marco Pezzaiuoli is aware of the difficulties the match will hold but pleaded for some patience. TSG's Achilles heel proved to be a vulnerability on the counter attack and an inability to create and then take enough clear-cut chances.
"Schalke are on the up. After teething problems at the start of the league season, they are becoming more and more dominant," he told the club website.
"The young team needs time and the team needs to find itself first of all. We should call upon our experience of the reverse fixture. We won 2-0 and played very well. We need to be more compact in possession. Furthermore, in attack we must show more determination and create more chances, and then also put them away."
TEAM NEWS
Schalke 04
Felix Magath is without the suspended Lukas Schmitz, meaning that Christian Pander will make his first start in the Bundesliga this season at left-back, having played further forward in midweek. Atsuto Uchida is still on Asian Cup duty and Levan Kenia is still recovering from injury. Julian Draxler's cup heroics mean he will start on the left and Christoph Moritz is handed the chance to step into the shoes of Ivan Rakitic.
Probable Starting XI: Neuer - Hoewedes, Papadopoulos, Metzelder, Pander - Farfan, Kluge, Moritz, Draxler - Raul, Huntelaar
Hoffenheim
Youngster Manuel Gulde and striker Chinedu Obasi are the only absentees through injury but there remain a number of selection quandries for Marco Pezzaiuoli. He could stick with the starting eleven that played against Cottbus in midweek although Peniel Mlapa could come in for Boris Vukcevic on the right flank, Tobias Weis is a contender for Sebastian Rudy's midfield spot and we could see Edson Braafheid debut at left-back in place of Andreas Ibertsberger.
Probable Starting XI: Starke - Beck, Vorsah, Compper, Ibertsberger - Salihovic, Rudy, Alaba - Vukcevic, Ibisevic, Babel
Prediction
Schalke have the bit between their teeth and are starting to play much better. Hoffenheim are coming into the game after a defeat in midweek and although they will be boosted by their new signings, I think the home side will have just too much, although it will by no means be one-way traffic throughout.
Schalke 04 2-1 Hoffenheim 
