Season

Squad update as derby day looms

On Monday, HSV got underway in a new week of training, as preparation for the upcoming Hamburg derby against FC St. Pauli begins. 31 players were present and correct for the first session. Central defender Warmed Omari was back in full training for the first time since sustaining an injury at the end of September.

It's certainly a big week for Hamburger SV as matchday 19 of the current Bundesliga season fast approaches, with city rivals FC St. Pauli awaiting the Rothosen for a derby day clash, the 113th of its kind. HSV head coach Merlin Polzin is fully focused on the work on the training pitch, despite the intensity of the match to come. "We're paying less attention to the emotion of the occasion this week, rather we're concentrating more on the content of our sessions," explained the Hamburg native in a media round at the start of the week. "We want to be ready to put in a top performance when the day arrives and feel the emotion on the pitch. But right now, it's important to not just focus on the talk around the game, and instead work hard on what we're doing here in training." That's the case for every training session, even if one can absolutely appreciate the history and the meaning of this derby slowly building the mood as the week progresses.

Squad update as derby day looms

Two days after the goalless draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach marked the start of the second half of HSV's season, the squad got back out on the pitches at the Volkspark to begin preparations for this weekend's Hamburg derby. 31 players in total (including three goalkeepers) ran out for the session, which lasted over an hour. Among them was centre-half Warmed Omari, who was back involved in team training after an extended period out on the sidelines. The 25-year-old Comoros international, who has picked up 11 caps for his country, returns to full team training for the first time in almost four months, having suffered an ankle injury which required the defender to undergo surgery. Robert Glatzel managed his own comeback just this weekend, recovering earlier than expected from a muscle strain in his thigh to get back out on the pitch against Gladbach. "What we saw from Bobby on Saturday was as much as he can do right now. We were happy to take that risk, but we also have to be mindful of how we integrate him back into the side, because he was out for so long," explained Polzin. "He'll be there on Friday. Bobby is the man for a derby, and he's scored many a goal in this kind of game."

While Omari and Glatzel are almost there on the road back to full fitness, a few HSV players are having to take smaller steps on their recovery journeys. Captain Yussuf Poulsen worked through another individual session with fitness coach Sebastian Capel, as part of the striker's rehabilitation program. He was joined on this occasion by midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga, who suffered a knock to the calf in the run-up to the Gladbach game. Nicolas Capaldo, who had to be taken off after 67 minutes on the weekend, was involved in the first part of team training before heading inside to the strength and conditioning room as planned, where starting goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes and defender Guilherme Ramos were also working through tailored programmes.

After warming up as a team and running out some passing practice, Polzin’s session then began to focus on match-scenario drills and tactical themes, which made up the bulk of Monday’s preparation. The Rothosen will be back out training at the Volkspark every day this week before the floodlit derby on Friday, which the head coach will hope gives them enough grounding to finish the week in the best way possible and head into the weekend on cloud nine.