week 8 - match preview

Rutten: The game is HSV vs. Schalke, not Jol vs. Rutten

Head coach Fred Rutten is looking forward to the match on Sunday (19th Oct., 5pm) at table-toppers Hamburg SV and is expecting a game between two teams of similar strength.  “The smallest of details will decide the match,” suspects the Dutchman.

The coach, however, does not see it as that significant that he will be meeting a lot of familiar faces from his home country in Hamburg.  “Of course it’s a bit special when you’re coaching abroad and you come up against a compatriot, who has also got a lot of Dutchmen in his squad,” says Rutten.  “But at the end of the day it’s not about Martin Jol against Fred Rutten, but about three points to be fought for between HSV and Schalke 04.”

Hamburg’s head coach knows Rutten from his professional playing days, while he also worked with assistant coach Ricardo Moniz for several years at PSV Eindhoven.  The pair are therefore certainly “looking forward to the game”, says Rutten.

Schalke’s head coach has identified Hamburg strikers Mladen Petric and Ivica Olic as the key players who need to be shut out.  “Whenever those two get any space, it’s always dangerous.”  He has, however, not yet revealed the defensive formation that he plans to use to cancel out the league leaders’ attacking game.

Due to his calf injury, Christian Pander will in all likelihood be unable to play and there is also a major question mark over the inclusion of Levan Kobiashvili, who was deputising recently for the German international at left back.  Since returning from international duty the Georgian has been suffering from flu and a fever.  Fortunately, however, Schalke have plenty of options in this position.  Heiko Westermann, Mladen Krstajic, Rafinha and Orlando Engelaar, for example, are all players who could be deployed there without any problem.

Marcelo Bordon left training early on Friday after injuring himself slightly in attempting a shot.  However, there are no worries that he will miss the match.  “It was nothing serious,” says Rutten.  “Anyone who knows Marcelo, knows that the odd ache or pain won’t stop him turning out.”  Definitely missing on the other hand is Levan Kenia, who also had to miss Georgia’s international on Wednesday against Bulgaria.  Last Saturday in their game against Italy the midfielder got a knock on his foot.