“Every derby has its own story”

The Hamburg derby is never just another match. Friday evening’s 112th edition (kick-off 20:30 CEST) carries added spice, given it’s the Rothosen’s first Bundesliga home game in seven years, and their first top-flight derby at the Volksparkstadion since 2011. Over the past seven years the city rivals have met 12 times in the second division. Polzin, who experienced several of those encounters as an assistant coach and knows the special significance of this fixture as someone native to the city, underlined that sense of occasion at Wednesday’s (27th August) press conference.

The 34-year-old spoke in detail about…​​​​​​​

…the squad situation: It's quite straightforward: everyone is in full training. Jatta and Glatzel are still being managed a little in terms of their workload, but otherwise things look very good and I’ll have plenty of options for Friday night. We’re all looking forward to it.

…training so far this week: The build-up to a derby is always a special week because from the start you feel the excitement and anticipation. Otherwise, the structure of the week has been similar to the last one. The Gladbach game didn’t really change anything in that regard. I already had complete trust in the team and the process. I know how much work the boys are putting in, so our performance at Gladbach wasn’t a surprise for me, but a logical outcome of our pre-season and the targets we’ve set.

"On Friday it won’t just be 11 against 11 – we’ll have at least 50,000 HSV fans giving everything to push us to victory."

…the approach to the derby: Our positioning with and without the ball and the principles of our game have to be right – that’s always the case, regardless of the opponent or venue. At the same time, we know it’s the first Bundesliga derby in many years. The anticipation, the energy and the resilience shown over the course of the game are what decide derbies. I feel very good about that because our team has developed well. We’re challengers in this league, but the lads are fully switched on. It’s our first home game after so many years in the second division – and we want to do all we can to win it. The team and the stadium will be ready. On Friday it won’t just be 11 against 11 – we’ll have at least 50,000 HSV fans giving everything to push us to victory.

…the opposition: They managed stay up comfortably last season. Their defensive record from 2024/25 speaks for itself. They’ve built something solid over the past few years and they follow a clear plan. With all the drama and emotion a derby brings, this will also be a very interesting game in footballing terms. It’s about defending well but also finding solutions against their compact lines to create attacking momentum.

…his favourite derby: You always remember any derby you win. Our last win was a pretty important one for everyone at HSV. The games before that were also special. The 4-3 had an incredible dynamic where everyone had to push themselves past the pain barrier – that was a real highlight for all involved. Every derby has its own story. We’re fully determined and convinced we can add another great story to that list on Friday.