The Danish Play

Tomorrow marks the arrival of Hertha BSC Berlin in Europe. Last season our European adventure seemed longer than it actually was, due to the long qualifying process that we had to go through with our status of Fair Play Champions (or whatever). FC Nistru Otaci, Interblock Ljubljana, and St. Patrick’s all fell on our way to the group stages, where we were dumped out without winning a game (although we weren’t the worst in the group, and it was a hard group!). This year, our reward for getting into the Europa League properly is Danish club Brøndby IF.

Hardly seems fair.

They were definitely the toughest club on offer in our portion of the draw; the other Bundesliga clubs got the unheralded names that one normally expects to see in this stage of the tournament. It does make me feel just slightly sulky, but I’ve already finished stewing. The game is on.

So. Brøndby. They’re one of the bigger teams in Danish football, with a tradition of producing good players and some noted successes in Europe. Last year they came in third in the Danish Superliga, after finishing 8th in the previous season, and were knocked out of the UEFA Cup in the first round (where we are now) by fellow Scandinavians Rosenborg. After five games of their season, they sit in seventh. They have a handful of ex-Bundesligers and Lulu says that they’re “very well organized, aggressive, and physical.”

So, that’s Brøndby. As far as we go, we’re unlikely to change the formation we’ve seen already. Drobny will play despite his broken nose. The big news before the game is that Stuttgart are apparently interested in Gojko Kacar, to which Michael Preetz says shove off (politely). As well he should- we may need money, but not enough to sell our prize possession with less than two weeks away from the end of the transfer window.

Speaking of transfers and Serbians, many have been wondering what’s up with our ex-beloved striker Marko Pantelic. If the Italian press is to be believed, he’s waiting for Roma to get bought out before moving there. They’re also claiming that he’s turned down moves to Sampdoria and Galatasaray to wait on Roma. Time is running down, but I’m sure he’ll be signed before the 31st somewhere.

Category: europe

Tags: europe

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