International duty

Eight Rothosen away on international duty

A total of eight HSV players are now away on international duty, with four representing senior sides and the other four in youth squads.

The small group of Rothosen kicked off a new week of training on Monday (1st September), with a number of players away for the first international break of the 2025/26 season. Eight of Merlin Polzin’s squad are currently away with their national teams – four with senior sides and four with youth teams.

Miro Muheim (Switzerland), Giorgi Gocholeishvili (Georgia), Warmed Omari (Comoros) and Daniel Peretz (Israel) are the four players set to represent their national teams in World Cup qualifiers. Both Muheim (vs. Kosovo on 5th September and Slovenia on 8th September in Basel) and Gocholeishvili (vs. Turkey on 4th September and Bulgaria on 7th September in Tbilisi) have two home games to come, while Omari will play in Morocco against Mali (4th September) and the Central African Republic (7th September). Goalkeeper Peretz will face Moldova away from home (5th September), and their home game against Italy will be played in Hungary (8th September).

Fabio Balde (Portugal U21s), Luka Vuskovic (Croatia U21s), Aboubaka Soumahoro (France U20s) and Alexander Rössing-Lelesiit (Norway U19s) are the other four players currently on their travels, set to play a mix of European Championship qualifiers and friendlies. Balde is in a Portugal youth squad for the first time, having previously won four caps for Germany’s U20 side. The winger will be hoping to make his debut in EURO qualifiers against Azerbaijan (5th September) and Scotland (9th September). New signing Luka Vuskovic is also likely to play in qualifying over the next week. Croatia have a game away against Turkey to come (9th September). Soumahoro and France U20s have two friendlies scheduled at home against Spain (4th & 7th September). Rössing-Lelesiit will participate in a mini-tournament in Viborg, Denmark, where he will face Sweden (4th September) and the hosts (7th September).

The eight players on international duty are expected back in Hamburg in the middle of next week. Two new faces will join training on Tuesday (2nd September) in the form of new signings Sambi Lokonga and Fabio Vieira.