So Close

By: Abby | August 27th, 2008

The UEFA Cup proper. So close we can taste it. All that stands in our way are NK Interblock Ljubljana.

The signs are looking pretty good. We’ve got a lead of two away goals going into the home leg (to be played, as was the game against Nistru Otaci, at the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark). Ljubljana’s form hasn’t much improved since the last time- they’ve yet to win a game. Their last game was a 4-0 drubbing from the league champions NK Domžale.

On the other hand, Hertha’s form has been pretty good. We won the opening game and drew the most recent one. We’ve been playing well and looking good. While we failed to convert a lot of our chances at the weekend, we don’t need much. I’d settle for some kind of clean sheet. I’m hoping it’ll be a clean sheet involving a goal or few for us, but let’s not get greedy.

Player-wise, we’re likely to see a bit of rotation, especially with the mighty (and stuttering) Bayern Munich coming up at the weekend. Lulu’s been talking about rotation, saying he’s going to do it. Considering the lead we have going in, it’s not a bad idea. Fortunately, we actually have a squad to do so right now. While it’s always worrying to play without Marko Pantelic, who’s nursing a slight knee problem and likely to sit out of the game, this is a chance to really get a look at Armine Chermiti. We’re likely to see a few other changes, as well- it’s unlikely that Arne Friedrich, struggling with a back problem, will be playing.

The big question is whether we’ll be seeing Josip Simunic or not. The big Croat didn’t play against Bielefeld and there’s a lot of talk of dissension in the ranks. Simunic himself said that “Probably even Albert Einstein could not explain why I did not play,” and Patrick Ebert agreed so much that he was forced to pay a €5,000 fine and apologize to Lulu. It’s definitely a potentially worrying situation. After Pante’s goal against Bielefeld he (and the other players) ran over to celebrate with Josip, bypassing Lulu as they did. While Ebert’s fine has quieted him for now, this is unlikely to be the end of it. Could this be a sign of tension between the old Hertha players and Lulu’s new set?

I suppose we’ll see. But first, there’s a team from Slovenia to take care of.