Jol gives respect to on-song Villa

Hamburger SV's Dutch coach Martin Jol said Aston Villa FC were "a better side than Arsenal on current form," as he prepared for a tie against the English club which could give the winning team first place in Group F.

Level pegging
Hamburg, Villa and third-placed AFC Ajax are already sure of a place in Friday's draw for the UEFA Cup Round of 32, but with all three level on six points, the result of the Matchday 5 games in Hamburg and Amsterdam, where Ajax host SK Slavia Praha, will prove decisive. Teams that finish top of their sections meet third-placed sides from other UEFA Cup groups, while second-placed sides will be drawn against one of the teams that finished third in the UEFA Champions League sections.

Villa record
Jol knows Villa well from his time as coach of Tottenham Hotspur FC, and while he lost his first match against the Birmingham-based side, he has never lost in a game against the club under Martin O'Neill. That augurs well, but Jol knows Villa – fourth in the Premier League – are a good side. "They have lots of potential," said the Dutchman. "They are a better side than Arsenal on current form. When they play their best XI, they are good enough to qualify for the UEFA Champions League."

Top spot
Hamburg top Group F on goal difference and Jol would love to hang on to that position, though he accepted that it would be no disaster if they failed. "We want to keep our top spot in the group," he said. "It could be an advantage [to finish first] but it doesn't have to be. Last year, Zenit St. Petersburg finished third in their group and went all the way."

Goalscoring quirk
Alex Silva (ankle) and Collin Benjamin (calf) will both most likely miss the encounter, while captain David Jarolím (knee) and Bastian Reinhardt (ankle) should play despite nursing injuries. The latter hopes the club will rid themselves of an odd statistic against Villa too. While Hamburg have been in great form at home in the Bundesliga, winning eight and drawing one of their nine games, they have yet to score a goal at the Arena Hamburg in the UEFA Cup this season. "We are not less of a side at home in Europe," Reinhardt insisted.