The Dinosaur welcome NEC Nijmegen to the ‘Bank for the 2nd leg of the first knockout stage of the UEFA Cup. It would be too easy to call Nijmegen a punching bag or patsie or some other demeaning term, but let’s call a spade a spade–HSV rightly demolished NEC a week ago in Nijmegen, to the tune of 3-0. The three away goals give Hamburg an almost insurmountable lead going into tonight’s match, particularly in light of the fact that HSV have only lost at home once this season, the 0:1 defeat to Ajax in the Group stage of the UEFA Cup.

Tonight’s match is also the 100th match HSV have played in the UEFA Cup in their history. They bring a tidy 53-17-29 record over the years, scoring 163 and conceding 102. OK, BFD.

Who’s in, who’s out

 For HSV, Piotr Trochowski continues to suffer the effects of a stomach ailment that has kept him from training since Monday. His status can be best described as questionable. My guess is he’ll be on on the bench tonight. Guy (”don’t spell my name Dimmel”) Demel is hampered by a thigh bruise suffered Sunday versus Leverkusen, and I am guessing that BMJ will hold him out as well, so that he’s good to go for Sunday’s tilt with Wolfsburg. Stories abound this week about the debut of Venezuelan international Tomas Rincon tonight. Let’s hope so, I am eager to get a look at this guy. Two of the new players will not be making an appearance tonight as they are all cup tied: Mikael Tavares and Albert Streit. My last thought is whether Jol will get Jerome Boateng into the lineup tonight as he balances injuries with getting some of the reserve players action in a meaningful match. From what I understand, the “fight” between ‘Rome and Albert Streit came after some VERY contentious 6 v 6 play in which there was a great deal of contact. Boateng had been marking Streit and Streit let him know that he didn’t appreciate ‘Rome’s physical play. The shouting escalated to a little shoving and Jol had to intervene. He sent Boateng to the showers and Boateng faces a fine from the club, but Jol’s final comment was that these things happen from time to time and Boateng simply overreacted this time, as young players are wont to do. Given the injury to Demel, I think we see Boateng start at right back tonight. Here’s my go at the starting XI:

Rost

Boateng     Gravgaard    Mathijsen    Aogo

Rincon   Jarolim    Alex Silva   Jansen

Petric    Olic

Of note for NEC, striker Tim Janssen is out with an ankle injury.

NEC starting XI (?):

Babos

Pothuizen    El-Akchaoui    Zomer     Koenders

Radomski    Davids    Sibum    Schone

Ntibazonkiza    van Beukering

Final thought and SWAG prediction:

BMJ has been preaching to the side about not having a letdown following the huge victory over Leverkusen and the previous dismantling of NEC. That said, anything other than a victory is REALLY going to stop HSV’s considerable momentum. The way HSV are playing at the moment, it is not unreasonable (in my opinion) for them to be consider hopefuls, if not favorites, in all three competitions (DFB-Pokal, Bundesliga, UEFA Cup). Look for NEC to play fiercely and with pride, but to eventually be overwhelmed by a confident, high performing HSV. Make mine 3-1 HSV, with goals by Petric, Olic and Jarolim (I don’t know why, just a feeling). Bottoms up!

That’s right. Die Rothosen are once again top of the Bundesliga, thanks to the suddenly sturdy feet of Marcell Jansen (the with one ‘S’, right Ashiq?).  Jansen bagged a brace with goals at the 18th and 67th minutes, offset by a nice goal by Patrick Helmes in the 29th minute.

So now what? Well for starters, there’s the second leg of the UEFA Cup tie with NEC Nijmegen on Thursday. Word from the training ground is that newly acquired Tomas Rincon may start for either Piotr Trochowski (ill-stomach virus), or Guy Demel (thigh bruise). Mikael Tavares and Michael Gravgaard are cup tied and will not be playing, so that pretty much leaves Rincon to fill in. To cap off the week, Hamburg host Wolfsburg Sunday in a match that has some serious payback implications.  How could we forget the 3(!) 3-nil beatings HSV suffered in the Hinründe, the first of which was adminstered by Wolfsburg? Not sure I will ever forget those. One guy we won’t be seeing Sunday is Hamburg Offside fave Jerome Boateng.  ‘Rome came on for Guy Demel in the 60th minute, earned a yellow in the 81st and topped off a short performance with a second yellow and his hall pass to the dressing room in the 86th minute. I have been clammoring for Boateng to be playing but outings like this don’t impress BMJ.

Nijmegen come into the match 9th in the Eredivisie table on 32 point, trailing leaders Alkmaar by a whopping 25 points. NEC have not had a victory in their past 3 Eredivisie matches, but did garner a point with a 1-1 draw versus Heerenveen on Sunday, in a match that gaffer Mario Been described his squad as “under sedation.”  While a small club even by Dutch standards, NEC have proven every bit Europe worthy this season, having notched victories of Spartak Moscow on the road and Udinese during the UEFA Cup campaign. One last note on NEC:  the pitch at their ground has been kindly described as “individual blades of grass, surrounded by mud” and will pose an added challenge to a flowing side like the New and Improved HSV (under BMJ). My thoughts:  Muddy pitches are par for the course in Northern Europe this time of year and both sides have to play on the surface. Quit yer bitchin and get down to work.

NEC will be without right back Dani Fernandez, while there are varying reports that strike duo Tim Janssen and Dennis Rommedahl are in/out with ankle and hamstring injuries, respsectively.

Hamburg come into tonight’s match 3rd in the Bundesliga on 39 points, following Sunday’s victory over Bielefeld in the rain and snow. HSV have a strong record in the UEFA Cup this season, sporting a nifty 3-0-1 record in the group stages–their only loss coming at the hands of Dutch giants and Hamburg Offside fave (I’ve spent A LOT of time in Amsterdam and a village called Koog aan de Zaan) Ajax, 1-0 back on Thanksgiving (November 27). Ajax, by the way, are the only club, German or otherwise, to earn a victory at the ‘Bank in the 2008/09 campaign.

Mladen Petric is available for tonight’s match, as his suspension is limited to the Bundesliga only. Look for him to partner with Paolo Guerrero up top against NEC, as Jol tries to keep Ivica Olic fresh for Sunday’s gigantic clash with Leverkusen.

Probable lineups:

Nijmegen

Babos

 Koenders, Pothuizen, Zomer, El Akchaoui

 Sibum, Schöne, Davids

 Rommedahl, Janssen, Bouaouzan

 HSV

Rost

Demel   Gravgaard   Mathijsen   Aogo

Jarolim   Alex Silva

Trochowski   Janssen

Petric   Guerrero

Prediction:  I think HSV are in good form and NEC are not.  Despite the crappy playing surface HSV cruise with a clean sheet and set themselves up well for the round of 16. Make mine 2-0 for Hamburg.

Viewing options–In the US, this match will be on ESPN360. Alternately, you can try the ol’ P-2-P route. Here’s the link for the HSV match:

Why misery? Supporters of Die Rothosen don’t need to be told that rock bottom looks a whole lot like giving up a 2-goal, second half lead to a side that is relegation bound. But instead of being told about it, we had to witness it, as KSC managed to stage a comeback for the ages and defeat HSV 3-2. The first goal came on a swing-and-a-miss clearance from new guy Michael Gravgaard. But the killer was Sebastien Freis‘ header goal just as time expired to give the victory-starved KSC a much needed three points. HSV, for their part, blew a gift-wrapped opportunity to go top of the table (albeit temporarily). And the defeat didn’t *only* cost points in the table–Mladen Petric received a straight red when he shoved KSC midfielder Marco Englehardt. The DFB have subsequently upheld Petric’s 2 game suspension and he sat out the following match versus another bottom feeder, Bielefeld. I can imagine the disciplinary hearing at the DFB: 

DFB: The video evidence shows you committing a foul for which the consequence is ejection from the match and a suspension, as defined in the rules. Do you have anything to say on your behalf?

HSV:  Yeah, I mean, c’mon–it’s not like he pulled a gun on him or anything. It’s a little shoving. You all did it yourselves with your mates as you waited for the school bus each morning. No harm, no foul. Am I right, or am I right?

Well, Petric sat out the Bielefeld match Sunday (UGH, and will also miss the crucial match with Leverkusen), but Ivica Olic returned (in more ways than one–he was back to his old running-around-around-the-pitch-like-an-ineffective-madman-for-90-minutes self) from suspension, and as-full-a-squad as we’re going to see took the pitch to take on struggling Arminia. Samba mëister Alex Silva (fully recovered from hernia surgery) was back to manning the midfield, while BMJ gave Michael Gravgaard another shot to redeem himself at central defense. In the sleet and snow, HSV started slowly sans Petric, and did well not to fall behind, as a howitzer blast from Jonas Kamper in the 24th minute was neatly pushed aside by Frank Rost.  In the 32nd minute, the Hanseaten broke the deadlock on a free kick by Piotr Trochowski from 30 yards out. Bielefeld keeper Dennis Eilhoff did just get a hand on the ball, but couldn’t keep it out of the net.  The turning point of the match came in the 55th minute after Alex Silva fouled Robert Tesche in the box. Bielefeld’s ace Artur Wichniarek stepped up to the spot but his low shot down the middle was turned aside by Rost. Five minutes later, Peruvian party boy Paolo Guerrero knocked home an insurance goal with a sublime shot that curled into the upper left corner of the goal.

When the dust (or rather the snow and ice -and sorry Hamburgers, you get no sympathy from me. I live in the US Midwest I get snow and ice several times a week from November to April.) settled, HSV were even on points with the suddenly average Hoffenheim (who fell 4-1 to Leverkusen–HSV’s opponent next week), though in 3rd place on goal differential. The crappy part–if HSV would have won last week versus KSC, they’d be alone in first place.

Wednesday brings the knock out stages of the UEFA Cup with a trip to Eredivisie side NEC Nijmegen. Nijmegen for their part are currently 9th in the table on 32 points–an astounding 25 points behind leaders AZ Alkmaar (remember last season when Louis van Gaal was rumored to be a candidate for the HSV job?). I’ll have news and notes ahead of the Nijmegen match, but I will leave you with this little gem, which makes my heart sing.

As I wrote to a friend earlier, this match had everything–quality shots, up-and-down action, crappy officiating, the works. Hamburg forced the play most of the evening on the Bavarians. I am not going to go into the details of the match–there’s a fairly good recap here. Let’s get right to the news then.

News and Notes:

Bastian Reinhardt left the match at the 64′ mark with a foot injury, further depleating an already thin HSV back line. The diagnosis is a broken metatarsal, and Basti will be out of action for a minimum of 3 months (surgery to repair the fracture was successful this morning). Jerome Boateng came off the bench to replace Reinhardt, but apparently will not keep that spot (see below) for very long.

HSV were very busy at the close of the transfer period, signing 5 new players (in addition to the loan of Marcel Ndjengs, which was completed last week). The new guys are as follows:

•Venezuelan giant Tomas Rincon, on loan from Deportivo Tachira.  

•Mickael Tavares, defensive midfielder, purchased from Slavia Prague (through 2012). I am pretty sure that Tavares is cup tied for the UEFA Cup, but will be invaluable in the DFB-Pokal and the Bundesliga campaigns–a nice pickup for HSV.

•Michael Gravgaard, central defender, on loan from FC Nantes of Ligue 1. He will likely be taking Reinhardt’s spot in the long term. His contract is up this summer and he has stated that he would like to sign a permanent deal with HSV. I don’t know what BMJ has against Jerome Boateng, but he either needs to play him or loan him out. With as little depth as HSV has right now on defense, it would seem natural for Boateng to be called upon. Boateng will likely start at right back versus Karlsruhe with Guy Demel moving inside to replace Reinhardt until Gravgaard is ready.

•Khalid Sinouh, goalkeeper, free agent (last club-AZ Alkmaar).

•Albert Streit, midfielder, on loan from Schalke.  Streit was banished from the dressing room last autumn shortly after joining Schalke from Frankfurt. He comes to Hamburg to fulfill the #10 role that was vacated both by VDV and Thiago Neves. It sounds like Streit got a bad rap as a troublemaker early on at Schalke and never had the opportunity to redeem himself.  REALLY looking forward to seeing this cat ‘ball.

•Speaking of Neves . . . The sale of Neves to Saudi side Al-Hilal was completed at the transfer deadline. The major stumbling block for HSV was the proposed loan from Al-Hilal back to Fluminense. HSV felt that playing in Brazil again would only increase Neves’ value on the transfer market this summer and that they did not want to lose out on any additional revenue that would be generated by him displaying his talents in Brazil for another season. In the end, HSV caved and sold Neves to Al-Hilal for the previously agreed sum of €7 million. So long Neves–truly, we harldy knew ya . . .

Anis Ben-Hatira was loaned to MSV Duisburg of the 2. Bundesliga.

HSV have drawn SV Wehen-Wiesebaden for the quarter finals of the DFB-Pokal. This is another great draw for Hamburg as Wiesbaden are the only 2. Bundesliga side left in the competition. The match will be played at the ‘Bank either 3 or 4 March.

Good news from the training room: Alex Silva (you know, the Brazilian who didn’t suck), resumed training on 3 February following surgery to repair a hernia. He is nowhere near ready to resume playing, though.