12.05.2019

Time to make it three

HSV meet SC Paderborn on Matchday 33, and want to get their third win of the season against the side from eastern Westphalia.

Preview

They did it on 9th December 2018. The same happened on 2nd April 2019. The third could come tomorrow afternoon (K.O. 15:15 CEST), when HSV play SC Paderborn for the third time this season. The clashes between the two sides have already had a distinct impact on HSV's season, with December's win meaning die Rothosen won their final home game of 2018, and April's win meaning Hamburg progressed to the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal. Courage is not the only thing that gets you results but also the convincing manner in which you prevent yourself from conceding goals. Coach Hannes Wolf spoke about the positive attitude towards the fixture: “It’s a fact that we’ve already beaten Paderborn twice this season. The Pokal game is still quite recent. We will do everything we can to do it a third time,” said the 38-year-old in yesterday’s press conference.

Hannes Wolf and his team want to end their seven match winless run this weekend in Paderborn (three draws, four defeats)

(Kopie 1)

Captain Aaron Hunt could return

The chances of a third victory against Paderborn this season will naturally improve if Rothosen captain Aaron Hunt is able to play at the Benteler-Arena on Sunday. Hunt returned to team training this week and is back in the matchday squad after missing last weekend's home defeat to FC Ingolstadt as a result of back problems. Regardless of whether he features on the pitch, the 32-year-old midfielder will still play an important role by displaying his "leadership qualities" according to HSV head coach Hannes Wolf, who included Hunt in his thoughts during this week. "We wanted to have Aaron as a point of contact to use all his experience. It should be clear to him that there is potential for him not only in the coaching team but also in the squad. We have strengthened his position once more." The leadership role in the central midfield position is extremely important. Orel Mangala, who regularly plays in this position, picked up a muscle injury on Tuesday and so the Belgium U21s player will be out for two to three weeks. Die Rothosen have played seven games without Mangala and have not won a game without him in the team (three draws, four losses). A victory in Paderborn would mean HSV would at least climb up to third and the final game of the season against MSV Duisburg (19/05/19, 15:30 CEST) would be a huge game depending on results elsewhere.

Steffen Baumgart’s is Paderborn currently sit in second place and are in place for promotion, having picked up 16 points from a possible 21 in their last seven games.

(Kopie 2)

Paderborn in good form

HSV will be facing a tough test in a Paderborn side that is in good form. From the previous seven games, Sunday’s hosts have picked up 16 points (5 wins, one draw). Last weekend’s defeat to rivals Arminia Bielefeld put an end to their unbeaten run. Paderborn have only lost more than once to two teams this season: HSV and St. Pauli. Therefore, the HSV may have a glimpse of hope despite the current form of the two teams. However, the past doesn’t guarantee anything and the only way the Rothosen can be successful tomorrow will be with a strong performance if they want to make it three wins from three.

HSV squad:

Goalkeepers:

Pollersbeck, Mickel, Behrens;

Outfield:

Arp, Bates, Douglas, Hunt, Janjicic, Jatta, Jung, Köhlert, Lacroix, Lasogga, Narey, Özcan, Sakai, Vagnoman, van Drongelen, Wintzheimer

Potential Paderborn starting XI:

Zingerle - Dräger, Schonlau, Hünemeier, Collins - Vasiliadis - Pröger, Klement, Antwi-Adjej - Zolinski, Michel

Mangala fit, but not Hunt

The team are highly focused after spending the past three days at training camp in Rotenburg an der Wümme. The training camp helped to sharpen the players’ focus and strengthen the bonds between them. HSV previously travelled to Rotenburg in 2017 under then-head coach Markus Gisdol, in order to stay sharp in the final weeks of the season. It worked: a 2-1 win against VfL Wolfsburg made possible a last minute jump to 15th place. Luca Waldschmidt scored the deciding goal, his first for HSV. “We need players who are willing to bend over backwards during the final games of the season,” Wolf said. “Everyone still has a chance to be part of the squad on Saturday.” Everyone that is, except for Aaron Hunt. The captain will miss out not because of his performance, but due to back problems that have plagued him since the game against Union. However, Orel Mangala has been given the green light, and could feature in the match against Ingolstadt. As for Wolf’s formation and game plan, it is still wide open. “We want to wait to make any decisions on our line-up,” said the head coach.

Need to have respect for the opposition

Even Wolf’s counterpart, Tomas Oral, has nearly a full squad to draw on, not including top-scorer Sonny Kittel (eight goals, six assists), who is suspended after picking up a fifth yellow card. Ingolstadt are undefeated over their last four games (three wins, one draw), having picked up 10 points. That includes two away wins against Duisburg and Bielefeld, with a goal difference of 7:3. Ingolstadt are just one point below the relegation spot, currently held by Magdeburg. “It will be an interesting match on Saturday, as both teams will give it their all. We hope to come out on top,” Oral said during a press conference.

Meanwhile, Hannes Wolf knows what challenge awaits his side. “We need to have respect for our opposition. We need a constant intensity and want to bring our own play into the game.” It will take a win for HSV to up the pressure against Union Berlin and SC Paderborn, and to get back into the fight for second and third place. “We want to influence what we can,” Wolf said.

HSV squad to face FC Ingolstadt:

Goalkeepers: Pollersbeck, Mickel; Outfield: Arp, Bates, Douglas, Hwang, Janjicic, Jatta, Jung, Lacroix, Lasogga, Mangala, Narey, Özcan, Sakai, Vagnoman, van Drongelen, Wintzheimer.

Probable Ingolstadt squad:

Neumann, Paulsen, Mavraj, Paulo Otavio – Cohen – Krauße, Gaus – Kerschbaumer – Kutschke, Lezcano

Referee:

Markus Schmidt