Schalke coach Felix Magath is hoping Bayern Munich will slip in the
Bundesliga title race because of its Champions League commitment.
Magath thinks Bayern will not be able to win all three
remaining games in the Bundesliga and that Schalke still has a
chance of capturing its first championship in 52 years although it
is two points behind Bayern.
Bayern coach Louis van Gaal may be listening. Although
Bayern's 1-0 victory over Lyon was still far from secure Wednesday,
Van Gaal took off his striker Ivica Olic and winger Arjen Robben,
who had scored what proved to be the winning goal.
"We have an important match Saturday in Moenchengladbach and
I had to think about giving some players a bit of rest," Van Gaal
said after Bayern's win in the first leg of the Champions League
semifinal tie against Lyon.
Robben was not happy to be taken out after 85 minutes and did
not shake fellow Dutchman Van Gaal's hand.
While Bayern travels to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Schalke
also goes on the road to visit last-place Hertha Berlin. Bayern has
63 points, Schalke 51.
Hertha is five points away from safety and desperate for a
win. Fourth at the end of last season after even topping the
standings for a while, the Berlin club has gone through a
spectacular decline.
Unless it can upset Schalke, Hertha is likely to be relegated
and Berlin could become the only major European capital without a
topflight club.
"There is not a lot of hope left really," captain Arne
Friedrich said. "But the little we have we are going to try to
preserve and we'll give everything."
Veteran Pal Dardai thought only "a miracle" could save his
team.
Coach Friedhelm Funkel saw a glimmer of hope.
"If we win against Schalke, we can still do it," Funkel said.
"We'll do everything in our power."
While Schalke has to hope for a mistake by Bayern, Van Gaal's
team has its destiny in its own hands.
Robben's 20 goals have been decisive in keeping Bayern on
track for a treble in Van Gaal's first season as coach.
Bayern has slipped in the championship before but Schalke had
been unable to take full advantage.
Moenchengladbach has little to play for except pride. The
team is 12th and cannot move much either way.
While Robben has been outstanding with a series of decisive
goals, his fellow winger and France star Franck Ribery has hit
trouble at the crucial stage of the season and at a time he is
negotiating a contract extension with Bayern.
Ribery was sent off in the first half of the game against
Lyon after stepping on the foot of Lisandro.
The Frenchman will now miss the return leg in Lyon and could
even be suspended from the final, should Bayern go that far.
"That was a dumb foul," Bayern's honorary president Franz
Beckenbauer said.
Headlines for Ribery's activities off the field have been
even more troublesome for Bayern's star.
Ribery gave testimony in France last week about a
prostitution affair involving members of the French national team
and an underage call girl.
Ribery, a father of two, left the stadium without speaking to
reporters and drove away with his wife Wahiba, who had watched the
game.
Bayern has kept Ribery shielded form reporters and has tried
to deflect attention from the affair.
While Bayern and Schalke battle it out for the title, five
clubs are fighting against relegation.
Nuremberg, Bochum and Freiburg all have 28 points, one more
than Hannover and five more than Hertha.
Nuremberg hosts Borussia Dortmund, Hannover travels to Bayer
Leverkusen and Freiburg hosts Wolfsburg on Sunday, while Bochum
kicks off the 32nd round at home against Stuttgart on Friday.
Werder Bremen, seeking to protect its third place, hosts
Cologne. Third place brings Champions League qualifying and Bremen
is ahead of Leverkusen on goal difference. Dortmund is one point
behind and three ahead of Stuttgart.
Seventh-place Hamburg travels to Hoffenheim on Sunday.
Eintracht Frankfurt plays Mainz.
