Karlsruhe boss Becker wants Schalke's soccer scalp

STUTTGART, Germany (AFP) - Last season's second division champions Karlsruhe have a real chance to cement their place amongst the Bundesliga leaders when they take on second-place Schalke 04 on Saturday.

The south German side have made a great start to their campaign in Germany's top flight with 15 points from eight games and coach Edmund Becker wants his side to stake their title credentials with a win at unbeaten Schalke.

"We are outsiders, but we want to show that we did not get the 15 points by default - we aren't here to make up the numbers," he said.

Only a 4-1 defeat by rampant league leaders Bayern Munich blots Karlsruhe's copy book as they have picked up four wins in the last five games - including beating defending champions VfB Stuttgart - with a squad lacking superstars.

Midfielder Tamas Hajnal is their top scorer with three goals and goalkeeper Markus Miller has had three clean sheets so far this season.

But Schalke will be a tough assignmemt for the league's new boys.

They have yet to be beaten in the league and enjoyed a 2-0 Champions League win over Rosenborg in Norway on Wednesday.

Bayern Munich have a chance to maintain their unbeaten run when they take on German Cup holders Nuremberg at the Allianz Arena on Sunday.

Bayern are without captain Oliver Kahn (elbow injury), top goal-scorer Miroslav Klose (knee injury) and striker Lukas Podolski (fever), but can expect to pick up three points from a Nuremberg side in the bottom three.

Nuremberg have just one win from their last ten games and are struggling for form having dropped into the bottom three, while fourth-placed Bayer Leverkusen take on mid-table Eintracht Frankfurt also on Sunday.

On Saturday, defending champions VfB Stuttgart host Hanover and look to pick up three points after their 2-1 humbling by Bundesliga minnows Hansa Rostock last weekend and their 2-0 Champions League defeat by Barcelona in midweek.

Having briefly flirted with a top-three place, Hertha Berlin have dropped down to ninth in the league and are reeling after midfielder Lucio tore his cruciate knee ligament and is expected to be out for six months.

Hertha host bottom side Energie Cottbus, whose new coach Bojan Prasnikar will be looking for his first win since taking over for last week's 2-2 draw with Frankfurt.

Prasnikar has six league titles and coached the national team three times in his native Slovenia, but faces a big task to keep his new side in the Bundesliga.

Having been hammered 8-1 by Bremen last weekend, Arminia Bielefeld will want to make sure of picking up some points when they host Hamburg.

After their 3-1 Champions League defeat at the hands of Greek side Olympiakos at the Weserstadion, Bremen should have their dream midfield of Brazilian Diego, Torsten Frings and Tim Borowski together for the first time this season against Duisburg.

Frings made his return against the Greeks, while Borowski has just returned from a knee injury and is expected to face Duisburg, who are in the relegation zone.

Hansa Rostock will be looking to pick up their fourth consecutive win and continue their remarkable turn-around having lost the first five games of the season since their promotion as second division runners-up.

And on Friday night, Borussia Dortmund need to pick up points to repair their precarious position, just above the bottom three, when they take on fellow strugglers VfL Bochum.