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European Football
Preview - 10 Nov 2007
More away day
joy for Hamburg
Played 12, Won 9, Drawn 1, Lost 2. That is Hamburg's away record
since Huub Stevens got to grips with a side rock-bottom of the
Bundesliga nine months ago. The victories speak for themselves (Four
top six sides were comfortably dispatched in the second-half of last
season) but let's take a closer look at the defeats. They both
occurred early on in the current campaign. A 2-1 defeat at Bochum
owed a lot to the dubious dismissal of Vincent Kompany on the
hour-mark. The other reverse came at Frankfurt, also 2-1, where they
were quite simply beaten at their own game.
So what is Hamburg's game? In simple terms, they give nothing
away. A highly-accomplished defensive line is ably supported by the
'double-pivot' in front of them. Be that Jarolim and De Jong, or
Kompany and Demel, it really doesn't matter a great deal. What
matters is that their opponents have to work extremely hard to
breach this bank of six. Ahead of them, the creative impetus falls
on Rafael Van Der Vaart, the highly sought-after Dutch
International. Pietr Trochowski, Iviva Olic and Paolo Guerrero are
all able supporters, and in fine-form.
After a poor run of results in the Bundesliga, Schalke lifted the
gloom somewhat by producing an impressive performance in the midweek
draw against Chelsea. It wasn't the victory they craved however, and
the main problem, in the absence of top-scorer Kevin Kuranyi, was
once again their finishing. The likes of Asamoah, Larsen and
Lovenkrands are just not prolific scorers, and will need to up their
game here in the continued absence of Kuranyi. Mirka Slomka also has
defensive concerns, as Marcelo Bordon is banned, and Brazilian
full-back Rafinha is struggling with injury. With Kobiashivili,
Varela and Rodriquez still sidelined, Slomka's resources look
severely stretched. On top of that, Turkish playmakers Mezut Ozil
and Halil Altintop are severely doubtful, so the create impetus will
again fall at the feet of the promising, but inexperienced, duo of
Ivan Rakitic and Carlos Grossmuller.
Stevens has few injury worries, with just back-up striker
Mohammed Zidan and midfielder David Jarolim struggling with knocks.
Vincent Kompany should be able to rejoin the squad, after dropping
out last week due to a family bereavement. The former Schalke coach
also has the advantage of his side not having been scheduled to play
in the UEFA Cup midweek.
Second-placed Hamburg have an enviable record in Gelsenkirchen,
having come away with maximum points in six of their last eight
visits. With a bit of draw cover, back them with confidence to make
it seven in nine.
Schalke04 v Hamburg. Saturday 14:30
Recommendations: 5pts Hamburg
Draw No Bet @ 6/5 Sportingbet. 0.5
pts 0-2 correct score @ 18. Betfair.
Ilunga
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