The Bundesliga leadership could change hands for the third time in as many weeks this weekend as Schalke get the chance to stake their claim for silverware this season.
They host Stuttgart on Friday night and can leap above current leaders Bayern Munich while Bayer Leverkusen are now battling just to remain in the hunt for the title after losing for the first time all season last weekend.
Schalke defender Benedikt Howedes told the Revier Sport magazine: "We do not talk about the title in the dressing room. The aim at the start of the season was to qualify for Europe and that is how it remains now.
"The games we have coming up are not going to be easy and we have all got to pull in the same direction."
His coach, Felix Magath, has also postponed any talk of winning the title for a second year running until after his side have played Stuttgart, Hamburg, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich in the next few weeks.
"Only after these games will we be able to say what we can achieve," he said following a 4-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt last Saturday.
Bayern have arguably the easiest task of the top three this weekend when they host struggling Freiburg on Saturday.
Leverkusen are in action on Sunday against fourth-placed Hamburg, who have set their sights firmly on catching up with the top three and qualifying for the Champions League next season.
"There are nine games left and we must win them all," said striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Behind Hamburg, Borussia Dortmund have established a three-point cushion over sixth-placed Werder Bremen. They will aim to defend that with a tricky trip to neighbours Bochum on Saturday while Bremen travel to an out-of-sorts Hoffenheim on Sunday.
At the bottom of the table, Hertha Berlin could slip closer to relegation should they fail to beat fellow strugglers Nurnberg while Hannover will want to build on their first win since October when Eintracht Frankfurt come to the Niedersachsen Stadion.
Elsewhere, Borussia Monchengladbach play host to the resurgent defending champions Wolfsburg, who may be tired after a long trip into Russia on Thursday, while Mainz and Cologne meet at the Bruchweg Stadion.
