Team
05.11.25
“We want to harness the excitement and the power of our stadium”
Having grown up in Bochum and trained at BVB’s academy, the upcoming Bundesliga game against Borussia Dortmund is set to be a very special occasion for HSV shot-stopper Daniel Heuer Fernandes, as he explained in a media round this week.
Daniel Heuer Fernandes is as much a child of the Ruhr Valley as anyone. Born in Bochum on the 13th November 1992, the German-Portuguese keeper took the first few steps on his footballing journey at local sides VfB Langendreerholz und SV Langendreer 04, before making the move to the youth academy at the city’s biggest club, VfL Bochum, in 2008. A stint in the academy at another Ruhr club followed, as he spent a year in the youth setup at Borussia Dortmund between 2010 and 2011. His professional career then kicked off at VfL Bochum II, before spells at VfL Osnabrück, SC Paderborn, and SV Darmstadt 98 preceded the switch to his Hanseatic home, Hamburger SV, in 2019. Saturday’s game against BVB (15:15 CET) brings everything full circle in a way for ‘Ferro’, as he elaborated in a media round on Wednesday (5th November).
Heuer Fernandes shared his thoughts on…
…the excitement ahead of this weekend’s home game: When I was asked before the season had even started, which game I was most looking forward to in the Bundesliga, my answer was already Borussia Dortmund. I spent a year playing there, and I’ve always felt close to Dortmund, being from Bochum myself. It’s a giant of a club. I’m so excited therefore to get a chance to prove myself against a club like that.
…his connection to the Ruhr Valley: I lived in Bochum for 21 years, and my family is still there. We used to go to VfL Bochum back then, but through spending time at Dortmund’s academy, I got to know the club and just how massive of an institution it is. Your childhood shapes you, of course, and so I’ll always feel a connection to the place, although at the same time, I’m in my seventh year in Hamburg now, and so I also consider this place a home, as I’ve experienced so many moments here that have changed me as a person.
…his good performances so far this season: It’s my job to help the team by saving shots that we face. I’m always prepared to prevent as many goals as I can. The quality of each club in the Bundesliga is so high, and you need a good keeper to avoid leaving every game empty-handed. That’s my role in this team. I’m really happy with my personal record this year, but the most important statistic is how many points we’re taking. We want to push for more this weekend and keep adding to our tally.
…his expectations for the match: A lot of things have to come together if we want to take points off a team like this. We want to harness the excitement and the power that emanate from within the stadium. We’ve shown in recent weeks that we can hold our own against strong and supposedly better sides and play our football in the way we want to. That’s the challenge we’ve got again on Saturday, if we want to be successful against BVB. I don’t think we’re a team to be underestimated. The last few weeks have shown that we’re capable of competing.
…his preparation to face BVB’s forwards, like Guirassy: You can always identify patterns in how your opponents like to play. In this sense, it’s not just about the strikers, but also the wingers, full-backs who like to push up high, and the players in the middle of the park. As a keeper, I analyse each upcoming game with my goalkeeping team. Preparing to face individual players like this is crucial, and I really engage with it as it always helps me to understand each opponent’s playing style and character before the match. At the same time, though, a lot of what goes on in the game is based on instinct.
…the team’s development on the pitch: This season has been a continuous process of implementing our style of play. At the start of the campaign, we placed a lot of emphasis on defensive stability. That gave the impression that we were a very defensive-minded team, but over time, we’ve developed new dynamics and ideas going forward, which is also partly down to the lads having gelled more and more each week. Over the last few games, it’s been clear to see that we’ve developed a real presence with the ball in the opponents’ half, creating a lot of chances for ourselves. You give yourself a sense of security by playing like that, and it also puts pressure on the opponents. In this respect, it’s so important to have a balance between defensive solidity and good possession football if you want to be successful on the pitch.