adminBERLIN. — Rafael van der Vaart says Real Madrid’s 4-0 drubbing of Bayern Munich in the Champions League soccer will boost relegation-threatened Hamburg against the Bavarian giants in today’s German Bundesliga clash.
Hamburg, the only club in Germany’s top flight to have never gone down, sit third from bottom in the table and at risk of an historic relegation.
A thousand fans watched the team go through their paces on Thursday and shouts of “never in the second division!” echoed around the training ground.
Hamburg are five points from safety with two games left and desperately need points against champions Bayern to climb out of the bottom three.
If they finish 16th, they will face a last chance play-off against the third-placed side in the second division to try to maintain their Bundesliga place.
But Bayern’s Champions League exit in Tuesday’s 4-0 semi-final, second-leg drubbing at home to Real has given Hamburg hope, says Netherlands star Van der Vaart.
Fixtures
Today (All 3pm): Borussia Dortmund v Hoffenheim, Bor. Moenchengladbach v Mainz 05, VfB Stuttgart v VfL Wolfsburg, Werder Bremen v Hertha Berlin, Nuremberg v Hanover 96, Freiburg v Schalke 04, Hamburg v Bayern Munich, Eintracht Braunschweig v Augsburg, Eintracht Frankfurt v Bayer Leverkusen — AFP.
Online Reporter