Polzin: “There’s not many rivalries in Germany that are this electrifying”

Hamburger SV and SV Werder Bremen will meet on Sunday (7th December), in what will be the 111th league match between the sides since the Bundesliga was founded in 1963. Their last such encounter took place in February 2022 in the second division, while the last top-flight clash between the sides came in early 2018. Hamburg native Merlin Polzin is well-versed in the special nature of this match, addressing the media during his pre-match press conference on Friday. Hear what our head coach had to say on…

…the squad: Warmed Omari and Robert Glatzel are still unavailable. Alexander Rössing-Lelesiit is suspended this weekend, but has also suffered a muscle strain that will keep him sidelined for the remainder of the year. Daniel Elfadli and Yussuf Poulsen were able to train with the team and have been able to increase their workload this week, so we’re fairly optimistic that they will be ready to play on Sunday. 

…putting Wednesday’s cup defeat behind them: We had hoped for a different outcome on Wednesday. It would have been possible for us to achieve this aim, but we didn’t. What matters most to me is that we managed to quickly move past Wednesday’s cup defeat. Now, it’s about putting our full focus on Sunday. The lingering happiness following the win against Stuttgart is much stronger than our disappointment at having been knocked out of the DFB-Pokal – at least, that’s the feeling I get from the team. Knowing that you have one of the most anticipated and historic fixtures in Bundesliga history coming up, you can’t allow yourself to be physically or mentally tired. The busy game week isn’t a handicap for us. Instead, we’re feeling fresh, highly motivated and we’re looking forward at what’s to come. 

"We know that we won’t just be playing 11 vs. 11 on the pitch, but that we’ll also be playing with 50,000 HSV fans against Bremen."

…HSV’s game plan: There were many things that we weren’t happy with in the Pokal, because we’ve seen the team perform much better before. Things like intensity, cleverness, presence: those are all important qualities that will be needed on Sunday in order to win the derby. That’s also what I expect from my team. I’ve seen before how well they can perform, for example, in the recent home games against Dortmund and Stuttgart. We want to stick to our game plan, while also feeding off the energy from the stands. We know that we won’t just be playing 11 vs. 11 on the pitch, but that we’ll also be playing with 50,000 HSV fans against Bremen. Our goal is to get the entire stadium behind us with our performance. We’re going all in on our home advantage. Positive thoughts lead to positive energy, which is something that our fans have proven before at home this season.  

…the special nature of the Nordderby: It’s a game between two team, clubs and cities that means a lot to many, many people. As a result, it’s also something that’s very important to us. We made this clear to the team beforehand with the use of videos, photos and through discussions both on a individual level and as a group. We’ve filled up on that energy and want to let it all out on Sunday. You obviously want to enjoy the special nature of this match – after all, there’s not many rivalries in Germany that are this electrifying. It’s something special, as it should be. We already can’t wait for it to be Sunday. At the same time, it will be important for us to not be guided entirely by our emotions, but to also make good decisions and to have a clear understanding of what our goals are.