Hamburg ‘v’ Man City – Preview

Trying to put the disappointment of the defeat to Arsenal to the back of their minds, Man City continue their European adventure with a trip to Germany to face Hamburg in the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup. A nail-biting victory in the last round over AaB Aalborg enabled the Blues to progress to the last eight, where they will come across this powerful German outfit, whose manager, Martin Jol, has a point to prove to English football, after he was unceremoniously sacked by Tottenham after guiding them to successive UEFA Cup finishes.

Hamburg progressed from the group stages in first place, ahead of both Ajax and Aston Villa. They played NEC Nijmegen from Holland in the last 32, a tie which they won 4 – 0 on aggregate, before moving to the last 16 where they faced Galatasaray. A close fought pair of matched ensued, with the Germans advancing courtesy of a highly impressive 3 – 2 away win. Their manager, former Tottenham boss, Martin Jol has an exemplary record when facing City, having won all six of the matches against the Blues when he was in charge of Spurs.

Martin Jol has a 100% record when facing City

Team News

City are struggling with a plethora of injuries ahead of this crucial match, one which could ultimately determine Mark Hughes’s future as Citizens manager. It is rumoured that he will be sacked if he fails to lift the UEFA Cup this season, and Sunderland have already reportedly approached the former Wales and Blackburn boss in case of this happening. Back to this game, and key midfielder Stephen Ireland is facing a race against time in order to participate, whilst Vincent Kompany and Wayne Bridge, both of whom were substituted against Arsenal with injuries, are doubtful. Former Hamburg player, Nigel de Jong, is ineligible for this match, having played in the early stages of the competition for his previous club, whilst Bulgarian striker Valeri Bojinov is also unable to play. On the bright side, lightning-quick winger Martin Petrov, arguably the player City have missed most this season, is on the verge of returning to the side, after he played for the reserves earlier this week. Didi ‘Slower Than A Tortoise With Two Broken Legs’ Hamann also played in that reserve team fixture, but it is thought that this game has come too soon for the vastly experienced German. Up-front, Danny Sturridge and Benjani are both pushing for recalls, whilst it can be hoped that the European stage can invigorate Robinho to produce his best.

The home side have a talented squad at their disposal, many of whom are known to English football fans. Cameroonian defender Timothée Atouba played for Tottenham eighteen times between 2004 – 2005, scoring one goal in that period. Ivorian international Guy Demel was actually signed by Arsenal in 2000, but failed to make an appearance, citing homesickness as a factor for his move away from the Gunners. German under 21 international Jérôme Boateng (who, by the way, is a fantastic signing on Football Manager) is suspended for this game, but the Germans still possess that most lethal of players, a Brazilian defender, Alex Silva, who has represented his national side twice. 

My Team (4-4-2)

                                                Given

Richards                Dunne                           Onuoha                Garrido

SWP                      Zabaleta                           Elano                 Robinho

                             Bellamy                        Sturridge

Subs: Hart, Berti, Logan, Petrov, Benjani, Evans, Caicedo

  
Triple look-a-like: from left to right – Alex Silva, Vincent Kompany and Nigel de Jong

Key Battles

Ivica Olić ‘v’ Richard Dunne

The Croatian international is often described as a hard-working, fully committed and team player by fans; in other words, a Croatian Dirk Kuyt!! He was part of the national side that defeated England due to Scott Carson’s blunder, and he has already agreed a deal to sign for Bayern Munich at the end of the season. He is a prolific scorer (unlike Kuyt), with a ratio of better than 1 in 3 for his club. Dunne, after a shaky start to the season, has improved beyond measure recently, but he looked suspect against Arsenal, so needs to be on his mettle from the off on Thursday.

José Paolo Guerrero ‘v’ Nedum Onuoha

Hamburg’s strength, following the departures of both Kompany and de Jong, now lies in their forwards, and there is no-one more lethal on their day than Peruvian striker Guerrero. He has already represented Bayern Munich and his pace and strength caused endless problems for the Galatasaray defence in the previous round. Onuoha was City’s player of the month for March, and has looked supremely confident since cementing his place in the starting eleven, and he will need to keep up his superb performances against this tricky opponent.

Joris Mathijsen ‘v’ Craig Bellamy

The Dutch defender is vice-captain of Hamburg and he is a regular starter for the Holland national side. Strong in the air and with a beauty of a left foot, Mathijsen will hope to nullify the threat of Bellamy with his experience and nous. The Welsh striker, in the absence of Bojinov, will lead the line, and it is imperative that he takes the pressure off City’s defence, by using his pace and running power to cause problems.

Mathijsen gets up close and personal with Dutch goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar

Verdict: Hamburg 2 – 1 Man City

This is a really difficult one to predict, because for me, the result depends on the extent of City’s injuries. If Ireland was fit, then I would go for a draw, but with the Blues’ away form as dire as it is, I feel Hamburg will nick this one, albeit with a City away goal that could prove crucial in the final outcome. Goals to be scored by Mladen Petric, Guerrero and Bellamy.