Hleb heading to MTZ-RIPO
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Article summary
Belarussian international striker Viachaslau Hleb has joined FC MTZ-RIPO Minsk on loan from Hamburger SV.
Article body
Sibling rivalry
Hleb, whose older brother Aliaksandr recently transferred from VfB Stuttgart to Arsenal FC, spent the first part of 2005 on loan at Grasshopper-Club in Switzerland.
Cup encounter
The 22-year-old could make his debut on Saturday in the Belarus Cup, when MTZ-RIPO take on lower division city rivals FC Smena Minsk. Hleb has four international caps and two goals, and is a former Stuttgart and FK Dinamo-Yuni Minsk player.
Impressive victory
MTZ-RIPO are well-placed to reach the UEFA Cup second qualifying round after winning 2-0 at Ferencvárosi TC of Hungary in their first round first leg. They lie sixth in the Belarussian Premier League at the mid-point of the season.