Season

From one big game to the next – squad update from the Volkspark

After the weekend’s draw with Köln, HSV travel to Borussia Dortmund on Saturday for the first time in more than eight years. As a new week of training began ahead of another big game, vice-captain Nicolas Capaldo followed an individual programme.

Another standout week lies ahead for Hamburger SV: next Saturday, the Rothosen take on Borussia Dortmund in another prime-time Bundesliga clash, with kick-off at 18:30 CET on matchday 27. For HSV, it will also be their first competitive match in Germany’s biggest football stadium in more than eight years. After a fixture steeped in tradition against 1. FC Köln (1-1 draw), another hugely appealing test now awaits.

22 outfield players and three goalkeepers involved

HSV began their preparations on Tuesday afternoon with a public training session. Nicolas Capaldo, who has missed the last three Bundesliga matches with an abdominal muscle injury, completed an individual programme. The 27-year-old vice-captain first worked in the gym before later training alone on the pitch. “Capi made very good progress very quickly, but that has levelled off a bit lately. He is still feeling some pain here and there. That means it will be touch and go for Dortmund,” HSV head coach Merlin Polzin explained afterwards while speaking to reporters. Polzin was also without the ill Philip Otele and Albert Grönbaek. “Philip is feeling a bit under the weather, but we hope he’ll be back with us tomorrow. Albert is still ill. He was actually supposed to be involved against Köln, but then things got noticeably worse during the day and he developed a fever. We’ll have to wait and see whether he can do a bit more tomorrow.” Bakery Jatta, Yussuf Poulsen and Alexander Rössing-Lelesiit also remain in rehabilitation training as they continue their recoveries. U21 players Shafiq Nandja, Louis Lemke and Omar Megeed made up the numbers in the training group, which totalled 22 outfield players and three goalkeepers.

There was also a real sense of excitement around HSV at the start of the training week ahead of the trip to Dortmund. “Of course we’re looking forward to playing at one of the most special stadiums in Europe – and even the world. We’ve spoken with the squad about the fact that we’ve done a lot to be able to go to Dortmund with healthy self-belief,” Polzin underlined. “But we also know we’ll have to do a lot right to make sure it’s not just the trip there that’s enjoyable, but the journey home as well. It’s about getting our principles right again, both in and out of possession. We want to play better football than we have done recently. The results have been good and we’re on the right track, but we also set high standards for our performances.” HSV will use the coming days to continue that work with three more training sessions at the Volkspark.