Sky Sports - Euro 2008 In association with Sky Bet

Andreas Hinkel is hoping to use Celtic's Europa League clash with Hamburg to better his chances of making Germany's 2010 World Cup squad.

Hinkel, 27, has failed to sustain a regular starting berth under Joachim Low despite a number of solid performances at international level.

Hoping for a change in fortune, the Hoops defender has declared himself fit for the visit of Hamburg after missing Celtic's last three games with a thigh injury.

Should Hinkel start, it will be the first time he has played against a German side since he left his homeland three years ago.

Special

"This will be the first time since I left Germany that I will play against a German team so it's special for me," Hinkel told the club's official website.

"And it's a good opportunity for the German people to see me because the SPL is not televised in Germany.

"And, of course, it's important to me because the German national coach will see the game so I'm looking forward to it."

Celtic head into Thursday's clash rock bottom of Group C - two points adrift of their German opponents.

They face a stiff task against Hamburg who, despite suffering a number of injury setbacks, remain joint-top of the Bundesliga table.

"At the moment, Hamburg have a few injuries to key players but they still have a good team," said Hinkel.

"Their striker Jose Guerrero has a knee injury and will be out for six months, while Mladen Petric, who has scored a lot of goals in the first few games, looks like he'll miss the game on Thursday.

"But they are a very good side, full of confidence and are top of the German League."