Stopper loves Boxing Day traditions but says Rovers must prepare correctly.
Thorsten Stuckmann spoke of his admiration for the traditional Boxing Day game, describing it as “special”.
The giant goalkeeper is now in his fifth season in the English football league and continues to relish the bumper crowds that the festive period brings.
“It is always special,” he said.
“It works well that you have a few derbies and with Scunthorpe being just down the road, it’s even better.
“I hope that a lot of fans come to watch the game and support us.
“When I came to England, I was looking forward to the special occasion that is playing on Boxing Day and on New Years day etc. Everyone is off and there’s a lot of fans in the stadium and it’s a special atmosphere.”
Stuckmann, despite the desire to keep clean sheets, is resigned to the more open style of play which has seen 22 goals in Doncaster’s last five matches.
“The strikers are scoring goals at the moment but you have to see it in general as to how well the team are playing,” said Stuckmann.
“They are at the end of the product but we play from the back three and the way we pass it through the thirds of the pitch is really good – we try to improve day in, day out.
“If you create the chances, the strikers are there to score, that’s what they're there for while I’m there to keep clean sheets!”
The 34 year old expressed his respect for manager Darren Ferguson’s attitude to management. The Scot was quietly critical of his side in the recent 3-3 draw with league leaders Burton Albion but has rewarded his troops with a day off on Christmas Day itself.
“All the criticism he gives is really good and I think its spot on. We know we’ve made some mistakes and that we have to get better,” he said.
“I think you’ve seen the progress from the first day where he walked in to now but we need to keep improving.
“We know what we have to do and how to prepare for the game. We all know how it is and having the day off means we have to perform on Saturday.
“The most important thing is to have a good Christmas. We have Scunthorpe which is our focus, a tough game, a derby game and then Oldham on Monday which we’ll concentrate on from Sunday onwards.”
Tickets for Rovers v Scunthorpe are available below or by calling 01302 762576.