Source: Telegraph
Hamburg v Fulham: Roy Hodgson says Hamburg have added incentive to reach final
There were fears that a prolonged ban on flights to and from the UK could delay Fulham on their return from Hamburg, where they play in tonight's Europa League semi-final, first leg.[LNB]The journey from London to northern Germany took the team 17 hours but a club representative confirmed today that they were expecting to be able to fly back tomorrow.[LNB] Related ArticlesHamburg v Fulham: match previewFulham bond on 'never-ending' journeyVan Nistelrooy: Zamora deserves call upFulham take long road to HamburgLiverpool and Fulham face 24-hour journeysHodgson: Fulham can turn tie aroundAnd Fulham are also expecting 400 fans here, with most making the 1,200 mile round trip by land, which will be a huge boost for the club as they attempt to reach the final, also being played in Hamburg.[LNB]Roy Hodgson, the Fulham manager, admitted that having the incentive of the final at their stadium could act as motivation for Hamburg.[LNB]He said: 'Obviously it will be if they reach the final. It's an extra motivation for them to each the final. [LNB]'However Real Madrid had the same motivation in the Champions League but it didn't help them this time. [LNB]'But we're aware that Hamburg will be extremely motivated for these two matches because the final will be played on home ground in front of their home fans.[LNB]'That's something the draw has thrown up for us to deal with but it's still 11 against 11, the football pitch is still roughly the same size, so it's a question after these two games of which team has been lucky enough to reach the final.'[LNB]And Hodgson paid his respect to German football, when he added: 'They've had success if we talk about Bayern and Hamburg, even teams like Dynamo Dresden, way back. [LNB]'The success of German teams goes very far. If you've ever seen them play you're aware of the strength of German football so, if you get drawn against one, you know it's going be a tough game.'[LNB]
