In a scenario that has become all too familiar, Hamburg have had to cope with a number of injuries. While the northerners struggled in September, they have turned their fortunes around in recent weeks, and most recently earned a stunning 1-0 victory away to Mainz.
They may be seven points out of first place, but Hamburg are near the top of the table, and can be considered contenders for a Champions League spot at the very least. Having won their last two matches, die Rothosen could jump as high as third with a victory this weekend.
Success will not come easily, however. Bayern Munich may be struggling with injuries, but have won their last two matches. Ahead of Friday’s showdown, Hamburg midfielder Ze Roberto, an ex-Bayern player, praised his opponents.
"Bayern for me are still the number one contenders," he said according to Hamburg's official website. "Even though they have struggled, their quality is always the same and they have a big squad."
However, the veteran refused to label his side the underdogs.
"There are no favourites," he said.
Without doubt, Hamburg will have to be cautious. However, HSV will take confidence from the fact that in their last eight meetings with Bayern, they have won and drawn three matches each.
Bayern Hope To Win By Any Means Necessary
Four goals were scored by Cluj and just one by a German on Tuesday, but Bayern somehow managed to beat the Romanians by a 3-2 margin. Coach Louis van Gaal labelled the result as lucky, and rightly so: the Bavarians benefited from two own goals and a third that deflected off a defender. It was a case of old-fashioned 'Bayern luck', something the record champions have not had domestically.
In contrast to their perfect Champions League record, Bayern have had a much less impressive start to their domestic campaign. Currently mired in mid-table mediocrity, Bayern are ten points behind both Mainz and Borussia Dortmund. Up until the top two, the table is rather congested, however: Bayern are just four points behind Leverkusen, who are third.
Having won their last two matches since the international break, Bayern will be keen to maintain their form and propel themselves towards the top of the table. It will be no easy task however as the defending champions really regard Hamburg as their bogey team.
On Thursday, Van Gaal vowed to get a gritty performance from his team.
“Under these circumstances, we have to win,” he told reporters. “That is currently more important than beautiful football.”
Bayern won in a less than pretty way on Tuesday. Perhaps they will be able to repeat their success on Friday.
TEAM NEWS
Hamburg
Dennis Aogo, Dennis Diekmeier, Romeo Castelen, and Eljero Elia have been ruled out of Friday’s match, but Guy Demel is expected to play. Should the Ivorian fail to reach full fitness, however, Colin Benjamin will take his spot in the starting line-up, and trade places with midfield anchor Tomas Rincon.
Probable Starting XI: Rost - Demel, Westermann, Mathijsen, Jansen - Kacar, Rincon, Ze Roberto - Trochowski - Guerrero, Van Nistelrooy
Bayern Munich
Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Mark van Bommel, Miroslav Klose, Breno, Diego Contento and David Alaba remain unavailable due to injuries. On the plus side, Van Gaal will welcome back fit-again pair Ivica Olic and Daniel van Buyten. However, neither is expected to start.
Probable Starting XI: Butt - Lahm, Tymoshchuk, Badstuber, Pranjic - Ottl, Schweinsteiger - Altintop, Mueller, Kroos - Gomez
Prediction
Bayern need to win this one more than Hamburg, and that fact just might play into the hosts’ hands. Hamburg have a stellar record against their southern rivals, but remain a bit thin in key areas - perhaps too much to expect three points.
Hamburg 1-1 Bayern Munich 
