Kevin-Prince Boateng is fit and raring to go against his former club as he returns to play in Germany's capital for the first time since 2007.
Schalke midfielder Boateng started his career with Hertha Berlin and Saturday's clash at the Olympiastadion represents his first return there since he joined Tottenham over six years ago.
His involvement was hanging in the balance all week due to a knee injury but, after he underwent treatment in Munich, he has been given the green light to face his hometown club for the first time in his career.
"I'm really looking forward to it," he told herthabsc.de. "It's going to be something very special for me to play there, where everything started so long ago."
Boateng follows his ex-club's fortunes and says he is delighted to see them challenging for a place in Europe next season.
"They have a strong team, particularly this year," he said. "They don't have to hide from anybody.
"They belong in the Bundesliga for definite, also for their fans, and I hope their upward trend continues so that they remain in the top flight and I can play in the Olympiastadion frequently.
"They're currently in a qualifying berth for the Europa League and I think it's going to be a tough game for us, but we still want to win and bring the points back to Gelsenkirchen."
Victory would move the Royal Blues above their hosts in the table, but Hertha coach Jos Luhukay would rather see his side four points clear of their rivals come Saturday evening.
"I've got a very good feeling," he said at a press conference. "Everybody's trained really well, even if they were down a bit after the result in Munich."
A crowd of 70,000 is expected in the Olympiastadion on Saturday, the biggest turnout of the season in the capital, with the fans streaming back in their droves given the on-field success of a side who have won four and lost one at home so far.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Have Your Say