Double shift with Monday night coming into view

After a period of four games inside fourteen days at the end of October, this week will have felt particularly long for the Rothosen, a whole ten days lying between the 2-2 derby draw with St. Pauli and the next league game, away to surprise package Holstein Kiel on Monday evening (kick-off 8:30pm CET). Time for rest was planned into the schedule on Sunday and Monday, the preparations for the Storks kicking into gear on Wednesday with a double shift at the Volkspark. During the afternoon session the squad was split into two, one group receiving purposeful and specific training for the upcoming game, whilst the other half took part in a tournament to increase the intensity amongst the squad. The goalkeepers naturally had an innovative and individually tailored programme designed for them as well by goalkeeping coach Kai Rabe, the morning session including an exercise involving parkour. 

"It's no great surprise for me that Holstein Kiel are in the upper echelons of the table" Daniel Thioune

Just as well that the training is intense and studious, the next opponent lying in wait only 95km away from the Volksparkstadion and two places in the table beneath the Rothosen. “They have a very attractive style of football,” commented HSV manager Daniel Thioune after training, “and with Ole Werner have an excellent manager, who has formed his players into a well-oiled machine. Therefore for me it’s not a great surprise that Holstein Kiel have developed as they have and in my opinion will be part of the top five all the way to the finish.” Despite being winless in two, eleven points from six games is a strong start to the season for the Storks; “we can expect a very difficult game on Monday,” according to Thioune. Good then, that his players have an extended week to prepare for the game in Schleswig-Holstein.