Dubai - Following a terrible start to the season and the departure of Mirko Slomka as head coach, Hamburger SV stabilised towards the end of the first half of the campaign and now embark on their mid-season tour of Dubai with renewed confidence ahead of the Bundesliga's resumption at the end of January.

On Sunday (11th) the Red Shorts jetted out to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for a ten-day training camp, just 120 km from the country's capital Abu Dhabi, where they recuperated this time last season.

bundesliga.com gives you the lowdown on the Red Shorts' winter training camp...

More goal threat needed

Josef Zinnbauer's side managed just nine goals - eight less than bottom club SC Freiburg - between Matchdays 1 and 17, and the Hamburg coach knows there is plenty of room for improvement. "We want to make sure we're stable defensively, but obviously our focus will be on improving our attack. Ultimately, it's about getting a team together that will play against Köln [on Matchday 18]."

Three friendly games have been lined up for Rafael van der Vaart and Co., all of which will represent a major test. Fellow Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt are the opposition on 15 January, with Kazakh FC Astana on the agenda three days later. Hamburg will then play their final tour match against English champions Manchester City FC on 21 January, before returning home.

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