Shaky NEC form belies Jol's words of warning

NEC Nijmegen will look to end a grim run of form as they host Hamburger SV in the first leg of their Round of 32 tie, with visiting coach Martin Jol warning his side "NEC are a small Dutch side but we mustn't underestimate them".

Sticky patch
Since NEC's last UEFA Cup group-stage game – a 2-0 win against Udinese Calcio – Mario Been's men have claimed just one victory in eight league matches, against Feyenoord, the club the coach has agreed to take charge of in the summer. They have not won in their last three games, and while they earned a 1-1 draw against SC Heerenveen on Sunday, it was a point they scarcely deserved.

'Under sedation'
"It certainly was not the way we had looked to start the match," said Been, whose side conceded after four minutes. "We played like we were under sedation. It was very poor and we were lucky the game was not over within the half-hour." Jhon van Beukering was brought on six minutes before the break, prompting a revival, with Youssef El-Akchaoui – who has taken the captain's armband following Peter Wisgerhof's move to FC Twente – equalising from the penalty spot straight away.

Players missing
NEC will be without injured right-back Dani Fernández for the Hamburg game, with Milano Koenders – on loan from AZ Alkmaar – having stood in for him against Heerenveen. Attacking duo Tim Withelmus Janssen and Dennis Rommedahl are out of both legs with ankle ligament and hamstring problems respectively, but while they may have key players missing, Van Beukering said his team-mates would not lack motivation. "We will have to work very hard: that's the basics," he said. "For HSV, no one needs telling that we will have to be sharp."

Small but tasty
How sharp NEC can expect Hamburg to be is a moot point. Jol's side have blown hot and cold since the Bundesliga restart, beating FC Bayern München 1-0, suffering a dire 3-2 defeat against struggling Karlsruher SC, and then overcoming DSC Arminia Bielefeld 2-0 on Saturday, with goals from Piotr Trochowski and José Paolo Guerrero. Hamburg are still third in the German table, but despite having a full squad to choose from, their Dutch coach was taking nothing for granted. "NEC are a small Dutch side but we mustn't underestimate them," he said. "They have good defensive tactics which usually means they get several good chances on the counterattack."