Karlsruhe host Hamburg on Saturday in a match which could go a long way towards deciding European places for next season.

The home team will be looking to make more positive headlines on the field after capturing the limelight for the wrong reasons off it this week.

Prior to their game with Hamburg on Saturday, the club are having to deal with problems which are threatening to overshadow their sensational rise to sixth in the Bundesliga.

Last weekend, a police officer was injured as travelling Karlsruhe fans clashed with Bochum supporters in Westphalia.

Those fans involved will be refused entry to the Wildpark Stadium on Saturday when the club should be celebrating their most successful year in over a decade.

"We are deeply shocked with this escalation of violence," said Karlsruhe general manager Rolf Dohmen.

The biggest surprise this year, however, is that Karlsruhe have taken to their first season back in the top flight in nine years like a duck to water.

Things are going so well that they are even considering changing their aims for the second half of the season to challenging for a place in Europe.

With 27 points from 16 games, they are well on their way to securing their pre-season goal of not being relegated. In fact, only Kaiserslautern in 1997 started a maiden Bundesliga season better, and they went on to win the league that year.

Realistically, though, it will be their opponents Hamburg who have the greater chance of winning the Bundesliga this term.

They would have been just two points behind leaders Bayern Munich had they, as widely expected, beaten Cottbus and not drawn with them last weekend.

"We have thrown two points away against Cottbus and now we want to win them back," said coach Huub Stevens.

The Dutch coach, who will spend his last Christmas with Hamburg before moving to PSV Eindhoven next summer, knows that Karlsruhe will not be a pushover.

He said: "They have some quick players and are particularly dangerous in the way they change defence into attack."

Stevens has a fully-fit squad to choose from on Saturday, apart from long-term absentee Juan Pablo Sorin.

Vincent Kompany may not figure, however, after being sent home on Thursday for a breach of discipline.

Karlsruhe coach Edmund Becker will make just the one change to his side with Christian Eichner returning at left-back after recovering from a bout of flu.