Starke prepares for 50th Bundesliga game with TSG

It was some 20 months ago that the 30-year-old made his debut for the club in a league game against Werder Bremen. Despite the nostalgia with which he looks back on that game, it didn't get off to the best of starts. After three minutes, Starke was picking the ball out of his net as Torsten Frings converted a penalty given for a handball. “We had gone into the match on the back of some excellent preparation”, recalls Starke. “But as the game started, I thought I was in a bad film after conceding so quickly. Luckily we turned it around and won 4-1.”

Tonight's game against Stuttgart will provide the team with an opportunity to erase the demons of last week's 7-1 thrashing at the hands of FC Bayern München. “We have a chance to put the Bayern game well and truly behind us. That alone should be enough motivation” Starke has kept 13 clean sheets in his 49 games, conceding an average of 1.47 goals per game. But the 6'4” stopper takes a candid view of such statistics. “I only care about stats if they're positive. Either they give me an extra spring in my step, or I just take no notice of them.”

In a few days, 1899's no.1 celebrates his 31st birthday. His current deal runs out in the summer of 2013, meaning he will be 32 when that time comes around – the perfect age for a goalkeeper. After tonight's match, the next milestone for Starke is 100 Bundesliga games for the club, a feat already managed by Sejad Salihovic, Marvin Compper, Andreas Beck and Vedad Ibisevic, who recently departed for VfB. “Right now I'm looking forward to my 50th, but I can definitely see myself staying in Hoffenheim for a long time yet.”

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