Hamburg wait on Van der Vaart fitness

18 October 2012 16:18

Hamburg coach Thorsten Fink is waiting on the fitness of Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart for Sunday's Bundesliga match at home against VfB Stuttgart.

The 29-year-old midfield maestro was unable to train on Thursday with a groin problem and Fink is hoping the Oranje star can take part in Friday's session with the German league side chasing their fourth win in five games.

Hamburg have only lost once since Van der Vaart signed from Tottenham Hotspur at the end of August and he was instrumental in their 3-2 win over champions Borussia Dortmund last month.

"We have to look at how he is from day to day," said Fink, with Croatia midfielder Milan Badelj also carrying an ankle injury.

"I hope that both can play.

"We managed to plug the gaps in our defence and we want to use this momentum, but we must be careful. Stuttgart are a strong team and don't deserve to be so far down the table."

Hamburg are eighth in the German league while Stuttgart are 15th, just above the relegation places.

Source: AFP