Polzin: “We want to make up for the reverse fixture”

All eyes will be on Hamburg for this weekend’s prime-time Bundesliga fixture as 1. FC Köln travel north in the direction of the Volkspark. Ahead of the Saturday night game (kick off at 18:30 CET), HSV head coach Merlin Polzin sat down for his press conference this afternoon and took questions on the upcoming challenge against a fellow promoted team. The two clubs’ seasons have followed rather different paths up to this point: Effzeh climbed to seventh in the table after beating their visitors 4-1 in the reverse fixture, with HSV sitting 13th after the loss. This weekend, a Rothosen side occupying tenth place in the Bundesliga standings will welcome a team currently sitting fourteenth in the table. Polzin spoke in detail on topics such as...

...the state of the squad: As we had feared, an MRI scan picked up that Yussuf Poulsen has suffered an injury to his thigh, which will keep him out for a few weeks. We all had the reaction you might expect. It’s just a really bitter pill to swallow. I want to be clear and emphasise now that Yussi is doing everything he can in terms of his lifestyle and looking after himself in order to stay as fit as he possibly can. Our doctors, physiotherapists and fitness coaches also do everything they can to try and help him in this. Aside from that, Bakery Jatta and Alexander Rössing-Lelesiit won’t be involved this weekend. With Nicolas Capaldo, it would be a calculated risk if he were to play. We’re not ruling anything out today. He needs to feel like he’s okay to play. He knows how important this game is, and he’s capable of gritting his teeth and getting on with it. Everybody else is match fit for Saturday.

...his expectations for the game: It’s a meeting between two massive clubs. There’s a lot on the line for both teams, more and more every week as we edge closer to the end of the season. In terms of our own approach, we’re concentrating less on the particular opponent and more on our own game. We lost 4-1 in the reverse fixture. That was not a pleasant night, regardless of how that scoreline came about, with one or two different stories around the match. We’re determined to make up for that result. We know that we need to produce a strong performance and run a lot if we’re going to make it happen.

„We’re thorough in our analysis of each opponent, but this week we’ve been consciously focusing on our own game.“ 

...the opponent’s dynamism: We’re not spending so much time looking at what Köln have been doing in the past, rather we’re focusing on ourselves. That’s worked well for us this season. All over the pitch, we’ve come on leaps and bounds since the start of pre-season last summer. You can see that in our form since the turn of the calendar year. We’re among the best in the division for goals conceded, because our principles are working. As well as that, we’ve been managing to take control in a lot of games. It doesn’t make any sense, then, to obsess over whoever we may be up against each week. We’re thorough in our analysis of each opponent, but this week we’ve been consciously focusing on our own work on and off the ball. From the first minute of the game we’ll see what they plan to do on the day and the players on the pitch, as well as the guys around me and everyone in the stands, will be able to make it a successful night, I’m sure.

...lessons learned from the win at Wolfsburg: What really shines through is the feeling that this is a team that can make it count when it really matters. We’ve proven that in a lot of those tighter games. That kind of thing is not a case of analysing everything, it’s more about doing things properly and turning up in those games. The boys were composed and produced a very professional performance, even in those really stressful moments and when the pressure was on. They have the mentality to take on games like this. That gave me a good feeling, not only directly after the match, but also for the rest of the final phase of the season. There are three points up for grabs again on Saturday. We simply have to rise to the challenge and deliver.