Schalke aim for strong start against newcomers Darmstadt

Schalke coach Andre Breiteinreiter.DPA/Berlin Schalke hope to continue their positive start to the Bundesliga season at home to promoted Darmstadt tomorrow while on Sunday Ingolstadt host a first-ever top-flight game against Borussia Dortmund. In Bremen last weekend Schalke stormed to a 3-0 victory in Andre Breiteinreiter’s first game in charge and will be anxious not to slip up now against Darmstadt. “We have had a good start to the season and morale is high, not just in the dressing room, but throughout the whole club,” full-back Dennis Aogo told the team homepage. “But we will not get complacent now and assume that we will brush aside every opponent we face. It’s not all roses for us at the moment. “We know that we still have plenty to improve on. During several stages of the game against Bremen, things were not going as we would have liked them to. But that’s not unusual this early in the season.” But while Schalke will be widely tipped to win against Darmstadt, Aogo was careful not to take anything for granted. “It is difficult to come up against a newly promoted team right at the beginning of the season,” he said. “Darmstadt showed that they have potential at the weekend against Hanover.” In that match Darmstadt led twice but eventually had to settle for a share of the points in a 2-2 draw. “It was a good and interesting game for the fans,” defender Fabian Holland told the Darmstadt homepage. “Shortly after the game I had the feeling we could have won. But with a few days perspective, a point to start the season is a good beginning because we have something on the board and Hanover also had chances to win. “We go into the game (with Schalke) exactly like the other games and want to concentrate on our preparations. We are all excited about the season and the anticipation is felt by everyone. Perhaps there is even a little more before the first away game of the season.” While Darmstadt drew on their return to the Bundesliga after a 33-year absence, last season’s second division champions Ingolstadt won their first game in the top flight away to Mainz. Now they welcome Borussia Dortmund as their city hosts its first-ever Bundesliga game on Sunday. “Everyone can look forward to this match,” defender Konstantin Engel said. “It is nice to be able to play at home again and then in front of a full house and against a great team. “I’m excited to see how we fare against such opponents. Dortmund go forwards, press and have very good strikers who are highly dangerous. But we will give our best.”

FixturesTodayHertha Berlin v Werder Bremen (1830)TomorrowCologne v VfL Wolfsburg (1330)Eintracht Frankfurt v FC Augsburg (1330)Hanover 96 v Bayer Leverkusen (1330)Hoffenheim v Bayern Munich (1330)Schalke 04 v SV Darmstadt 98 (1330) Hamburg SV v VfB Stuttgart (1630)SundayFC Ingolstadt 04 v Borussia Dortmund (1330)Borussia Moenchengladbach v Mainz (1530)