Wannabe giants walk tall

European contenders
Fellow UEFA Cup contenders Hamburger SV and Hertha BSC Berlin meet in the Bundesliga this Saturday harbouring similar dreams of success in continental competition and of joining FC Bayern München, FC Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen among the powerhouses of German football.

Hamburg high
While both sides look well placed to progress to the UEFA Cup Round of 32 ahead of final group stage games next week, Hamburg have the edge in the Bundesliga. Thomas Doll's team have been the surprise package of the season, standing second in the table, four points behind Bayern.

Van der Vaart blow
However, their title aspirations were dealt a blow last week when it was revealed that Dutch playmaker Rafael van der Vaart - a talismanic presence this term - had broken his ankle and would be sidelined for at least two months.

'More responsibility'
Thus Hertha, nine points adrift of their weekend opponents, will have the first chance to ask whether Hamburg can thrive without Van der Vaart. Doll certainly hoped they would, saying: "I expect all the other players to step in and take more responsibility. We have to make up for Rafael's absence."

'Strong enough'
Former Bayern youth player and German Under-21 international Piotr Trochowski will likely take over Van der Vaart's duties and defensive marshal Daniel Van Buyten is convinced Hamburg have nothing to fear. "We are strong enough to cope without Rafael," he said. "We proved it when he was suspended."

Big dreams
Full of the gung-ho spirit that saw Hamburg pledge to be one of Europe's top ten clubs within the decade, the Belgian international added: "We are in good shape and we do not have to hide. This season, we have beaten Bayern, Valencia [FC] and [FC] Schalke 04. We are full of confidence."

First target
However, when it comes to his side's ability to steal the Bundesliga crown from Felix Magath's Bayern, Van Buyten was more cautious. "Every footballer wants to win trophies," he said. "But our main focus is qualifying for Europe again this season. This will not change."

Good position
Fifth-placed Hertha's attitude is much the same after last week's 2-1 triumph at Bayer 04 Leverkusen took them on to the coat-tails of Schalke in fourth. However, their hopes of sneaking a top-three finish and a UEFA Champions League berth look to be slender.

'We will see'
"We have to be patient," said general manager Dieter Hoeness. "We live in a great city and have excellent conditions to develop." German international Arne Friedrich added: "Our goal is to be in the top five at the end of the season. The question is: UEFA Champions League or UEFA Cup? We will see."

Burning question
For Hertha, Saturday's trip to Hamburg is a good opportunity to answer Friedrich's question. "It will be a tough match because Hamburg are on fire," said Friedrich. If the Berliners can douse those flames at the AOL Arena, their UEFA Champions League pretensions may yet be more than idle chatter.