HSV face their first tough test of the 2008/09 season on Saturday afternoon (9.8.08, kick off 3.30 pm), as they open their DFB Cup campaign with a trip to Ingolstadt.
The stadium of the second division newcomers looks likely to be full to capacity, with a crowd of 11,400 squeezed into it. The Bundesliga side are taking nothing for granted and have done their homework on their opponents. The HSV posse boarded a Lufthansa plane on Friday without new signing Dennis Aogo, who failed a late fitness test on a buttock strain.
“Several possibilities”
It will be the first game without their influential skipper Raffael van der Vaart whose much-publicised move to Real Madrid grabbed the headlines at the start of the week. Midfielder Piotr Trochowski rightly pointed out: “We are not van der Vaart, and have played well in many games without him in the side.”
HSV won the Emirates Cup in London last weekend playing well at times, so confidence is high. Matrin Jol was keeping his cards close to his chest regarding selection matters for the cup opener in Ingolstadt. The Dutchman would only say: “We have several possibilites to vary our system, especially up front.”
Zidan “getting stronger”
Under Jol's predecessor Huub Stevens, the Egyptian striker Mohamed Zidan rarely started a game, but Jol singled him out for praise before the posse boarded the plane in Hamburg on Friday: “He is getting stronger all the time”, said the HSV coach. Trochowski, who has been chosen in media circles as the player to succedd van der Vaart is as always taking it all in his stride: “I do not feel any pressure. I know my capabilities and my value to the team.”
At the back, Atouba, Boateng and Demel are all fighting for two spots in the back four. In front of that back line, Jol's compatriot de Jong and new skipper Jarolim are seeded. The latter can't wait for Saturday's game to start: “I will feel very proud leading the team out onto the pitch”, revealed the Czech midfielder ahead of his first game wearing the armband.
Possible line-ups:
FC Ingolstadt: M. Lutz - T. Fink, Neunaber, Dreßler, H. Gerber - Karl - M. Schwarz, Rama - Leitl - Wohlfarth, Demir
Hamburger SV: Rost - Boateng, Reinhardt, Mathijsen, Atouba - Jarolim, de Jong - Pitroipa, Trochowski, Olic - Guerrero
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