In brief
West Ham United resume their pre-season campaign this weekend by participating in the Schalke Cup, a four team tournament involving the Hammers, Schalke 04, Malaga and Newcastle United. West Ham will not play the Magpies, but face two continental tests in as many days as they aim for some summer silverware.
Having drawn their opening pre-season matches at Stevenage (2-2) and Ipswich Town (0-0), West Ham suffered two losses during the Football United tour of New Zealand, as they came up short against Wellington Phoenix and Sydney FC.
So, with another week of training at Chadwell Heath under their belts, the Londoners will be hoping for more productive results in western Germany this weekend.
First up is a real test with hosts Schalke lying in wait on Saturday. Die Konigsblauen finished third in the Bundesliga last term to qualify for the UEFA Champions League
The Schalke Cup will be covered live and exclusively on Quest TV this weekend. Quest is a free to air channel and can be found on: Freeview 37 (+138) Sky 167 (+1 195) and Virgin Media 172 (+1 173).
Who are they?
Founded in 1904, Schalke has long been one of Germany's most popular football teams, even though major successes have been rare since the club's heyday of the 1930s and 1940s.
They have won seven German championships, five DFB-Pokals (German Cups), one DFL-Supercup and one UEFA Cup, while their third-place finish last term saw them qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
Since 2001, they have played at the Veltins-Arena, a 61,973 capacity stadium with a retractable roof and retractable pitch, which hosted five 2006 FIFA World Cup matches.
The club holds a long-standing rivalry with Ruhr neighbours Borussia Dortmund and matches between the two are referred to as the Revierderby.
They last won the Bundesliga in 1958, but were German Cup winners three years ago.
Team news
The Hammers will field most of their squad across the two matches of the Schalke Cup, and new loan arrival Carl Jenkinson could be involved after completing his move from Arsenal on Thursday. However, Andy Carroll is absent after undergoing surgery on an ankle injury.
One to watch
Schalke 04
Schalke skipper Benedikt Howedes will be full of confidence having lifted the World Cup with Germany this summer.
The defender, who operates mostly at centre back, but also featured at left back in Brazil, came through the ranks at Schalke and has been a mainstay in recent seasons.
With 166 league appearances under his belt for the club, the 26-year-old has won a DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup during his time at Veltins-Arena, and also has 28 German caps to his name.
West Ham United
Carl Jenkinson could make his Hammers bow at the Schalke Cup this weekend. The 22-year-old full back has made the move to east London on loan from Arsenal, looking to build on the progress he has made in recent years at the Emirates Stadium.
Already capped by England, he has made 28 Premier League appearances in the last two seasons and will hope to add to that tally significantly at the Boleyn Ground.
He scored his first senior goal on the final day of last season, in a 2-0 win for Arsenal over Norwich City.
Tickets
Tickets are still available for both days of the Schalke Cup and can be purchased on each matchday at the Veltins-Arena from "cash box WEST" at €32 Adults and €10 Under-12s. These tickets cover both matches played on that day.
Travel
For supporters in possession of a match ticket, these tickets also act as a VRR-Kombiticket ticket.
This entitles supporters to travel, free of charge on the day in question, to and from the Veltins-Arena using the Regional Transport Networks Rhine-Ruhr (VRR) until closing time of the services.
This applies to all of the VRR transport and commuter trains of Deutsche Bahn in 2nd class (but not ICE, IC, EC and IR).
If travelling by car, directions to the Veltins-Arena can be found here.
Weather
Saturday is set to be a warm day, with temperatures reaching 28C. However, there could be thunderstorms around kick-off time.
Last meeting
West Ham United have never met Schalke 04 previously.