German giants Hamburg and Schalke have had similarly terrible starts to their seasons so far: at the moment, they are tied for 15th in the Bundesliga on 1 point apiece from three games. Schalke’s position, meanwhile, could be further compromised this afternoon, when the club travels to PAOK Solonika for the second-leg of its UEFA Champions League qualifier having drawn the first-leg 1-1 in Gelsenkirchen.
The report points out that while Schalke is suffering from a long-term injury to star striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Hamburg has become overly reliant on players who are not performing, such as Thorsten Fink and the inconsistent Rafael van der Vaart.