Mahdavikia Set To Start for Hamburg

Mahdavikia has the full support of his coach Thomas Doll, who is hopeful that all the press attention on this issue is not going to derail his team. “We will get through this together,” he said.

Hamburg firmly believe the Bundesliga crown will be theirs by the end of the season as they head into Saturday's game at bottom side Duisburg.

The northern German side, having won five of their last six games in the league, trail Bayern Munich by four points. Thomas Doll's men are just three points clear of third placed Werder Bremen but Hamburg are looking up in the table and not down with just five games remaining. “The players can dream of the title now,” Doll said after their 2-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach last weekend, while Czech Republic international David Jarolim added: “If we win all of the five games remaining, we will be champions as Munich are stumbling.”

Bayern lost 3-0 in their last game and they have the ongoing distraction of Michael Ballack's “serious negotiations”, in his own words, with Chelsea.

Dutchman Rafael van der Vaart and Naohiro Takahara of Japan were on target in a 2-0 victory over Gladbach for Hamburg, who have a mild distraction going into the game.

Duisburg's prospects are not nearly as rosy.

Heiko Scholz only took the helm in April and he knows victory is a must if his team are to keep their slim hopes alive of staying up.

The club hit the bottom after a 1-1 draw against Schalke and they are six points below safety. Defender Uwe Mohrle has almost given up hope on avoiding the drop. “Our performances are okay but considering the points, we really need a wonder,” he told kicker magazine. “Things won't get any easier on the weekend when second-placed Hamburg come to town.”

Ivica Grlic (foot), Markus Kurth (fifth yellow card), Thomas Baelum (flu), Markus Hausweiler, Andreas Voss (both knee), Alexander Meyer (angina), Necat Aygun (knee) and Marco Caligiuri (thigh) are all absent either through injury or suspension.

For Hamburg, Daniel van Buyten (ankle), Raphael Wicky (calf), Benjamin Lauth (fifth yellow card), Nigel de Jong (knee) and Stefan Beinlich (groin) are out.