Labbadia respects Anderlecht

(GSM) – Hamburger SV faces Anderlecht in Thursday’s Europa League clash and HSV coach Bruno Labbadia claims he’s full of respect for the Belgian league leaders.

“We have a lot of respect for young attacker Romelu Lukaku. He is a really strong player and a great talent,” Labbadia was quoted as saying at the pre-match press conference.

“But we also have a lot respect for the rest of the team. Anderlecht have a good team and are the top club in Belgium. You can compare them with PSV, so it will be tough.”

Jerome Boateng (back) and Marcus Berg (flu) are a doubt at the German side but captain David Jarolim returns after missing the decider against PSV through suspension.

Ruud van Nistelrooy might also get some match action tonight. The Dutch hitman has recovered from a muscle injury and came on as a substitute against Hertha this weekend.

Anderlecht defender Ondrej Mazuch is looking forward to playing against the prolific striker.

“Ruud van Nistelrooy is a great player. I’ve been monitoring him ever since he joined Manchester United and have also kept a close eye on him during his spell at Madrid,” said Mazuch to Het Nieuwsblad.

“I’ll have to be extremely focused when I play against him. He’ll definitely score if I allow him too much space. He’s always alert in front of goal and ready to punish every mistake you make.

“He’s possibly the best striker in the world. I don’t play strikers of his calibre in the Belgian league. However, it’s not like I’m afraid to face him. He’s no longer as deadly as in his prime.”