Mahdavikia prepared to fight

Iranian international winger Mehdi Mahdavikia says he is not looking to leave Hamburg despite losing his place in the team.

The 27-year-old has been one of HSV's most consistent players since arriving at the AOL Arena five years ago, but poor performances at the start of the current season led to him being benched by former coach Klaus Toppmoller and he has yet to start a game under new boss Thomas Doll.

Despite the unsatisfactory situation, Mahdavikia insists he is prepared to fight for another chance with the Bundesliga outfit.

"I am not looking to leave in the winter, but am not going to give up trying," Mahdavikia told Hamburger Abendblatt.

Doll, who has led Hamburg up the table in impressive fashion since replacing Toppmoller, said that he sympathises with Mahdavikia's plight, but is not prepared to change his winning team at the moment.

"I have a successful team at the moment and so the other players will just have to be patient," said Doll.