Hamburg midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart has suffered a possible hamstring tear in the club's 0-2 loss against Fortuna Düsseldorf on Friday evening. He only lasted 30 minutes in the match before collapsing to the pitch holding his right hamstring.

Van der Vaart, 29, doesn't like his chances of playing again in 2012. He told Kicker, "It feels like a tear. It's not an injury with which you can play again after a few weeks. It will be difficult to play again this year. The injury hurts more than the defeat." An MRI will be completed on Sunday to determine the full extent of the midfielder's injury.

If Van der Vaart does miss significant time, it's difficult to see where the creativity in the midfield will come from. Hamburg have managed only twelve goals through the first thirteen matches this season, and the Dutch midfielder has contributed on five of those goals.

One thing's for sure, Thorsten Fink has his work cut out for him until the winter break with Schalke, Wolfsburg, Hoffenheim, and Bayer Leverkusen on the schedule.