Hamburg has undergone many changes this season to keep the famous "Dino" tag alive. Remaining in the Bundesliga is their primary goal. They have recorded some good results such as a draw against Bayern and a win against Borussia Dortmund (although whether the latter counts as a good result is debatable considering BVB's sorry state). They beat Mainz 2-1 and recorded a 0-0 draw against Schalke as well. That feeling of doom and gloom is still alive though as they sit in fourteenth in the Bundesliga table with only four wins to their name this season. Prior to the beginning of the season, Hamburg had many backdoor changes; they also got a new coach. Unfortunately, these changes have not been enough.
When Hamburg last met Manchester City, they were still good performers. They knocked City out of the Europa League. City has changed since then as well and are now reigning Premier League champions. They were however made to look rather ordinary by a sharp Arsenal side. They conceded two goals as the Gunners went onto record their first win away from home against a top four side since 2004 and the first against a reigning champion since 2002.
City needs to refresh; their lack of a striker is causing them problems. A focal point is needed for their game plan. As far as Hamburg is concerned, they need to be prepared for the upcoming relegation battle when the Bundesliga resumes shortly.
Manchester City vs Hamburg team sheets
Man City's First XI: Caballero, Sagna, Boyata, Mangala, Kolarov, Fernando, Lampard, Milner, Barker, Jovetic, Dzeko
Hamburg's First XI: Drobny, Götz, Djourou, Rajkovic, Marcos, Jiracek, Emeghara, van der Vaart, Stieber, Gouaida, Rudnevs
Man City's bench: Wright, Zabaleta, Demichelis, Clichy, Navas, Aguero, Sinclair, Evans, Celina, Ambrose
Hamburg's bench: N/A
Follow the game on-the-go
Download our iOS and Android apps to follow soccer on-the-go. It comes packed with features - live scores, fixtures, results, tables, line-ups, stats, TV schedule and much more! Sorry, no live streaming within the app.
