“These are the games you look forward to most”

Hamburger SV travel to face SV Werder Bremen in the Nordderby on Saturday (15:30 CEST) as part of Bundesliga matchday 30. The Rothosen go into the latest meeting between the two sides on the back of a thrilling 3-2 home win at the Volksparkstadion earlier this season. With both clubs fighting for important points in the battle to stay up, Thursday’s (16th April) press conference saw Merlin Polzin look ahead to the clash in detail and discuss…

…team news: Luka Vuskovic is continuing his recovery from a knee problem. He came back from the international break carrying a few knocks and he only needed one training session to go out and produce a really strong performance. We’ll see exactly where he’s at after training tomorrow. I’m staying optimistic. With Sambi, we’ve been able to increase his workload over the course of the week. He’s taken steps forward. He’ll train again tomorrow and then we’ll make a final decision. Baka trained fully again today, so he will be an option for the squad. Jean-Luc Dompe has a foot problem and is also unwell. Yussi Poulsen and Alex Rössing-Lelesiit are both still following their individual recovery programmes.

…Luka Vuskovic: In terms of his general fitness, he doesn’t need to be training – he’s in top shape. It’s more about specific movements that we can work on in the gym and at the Athleticum. Given the importance of the game, we may be prepared to take a small risk, but it has to be a sensible one. We have a responsibility when it comes to the player’s health. We’ve been able to increase his workload step by step, and we’ll do everything we can up until we leave for Bremen to make sure he’s with us. I’m really pleased with how hard our physios and rehab coach Sebastian Capel are working to give Luka the chance to feature there.

…the opposition: Ever since Daniel Thioune took over, you can clearly see the way they want to play. They’re a very good side with a lot of very good individual players, and they’ve already had to come through a few difficult moments this season. Time and again, they’ve managed to bounce back from them. They also look settled and united. I expect them to be determined to make up for the defeat in the reverse fixture at the Volkspark. I’m also expecting a very physical game. It will be less about tactics and more about doing the basics well across the 90 minutes. We know we’re coming up against a Bremen side that will try to use the stadium to create energy and intensity. They’ll defend higher up the pitch and more aggressively, and they have direct players who are very dangerous on the counter. We can’t allow ourselves to be dragged into that – we need to make sure we’re well organised without the ball and that we stay disciplined. These are the games players, coaches and fans look forward to most.

…Daniel Thioune: Daniel is an important person to me and an important colleague who played a big part in me sitting here today. During the game, I’ll know exactly what it’s about: both teams want to win. It’s not about Thioune and Polzin. At the same time, though, a friend of mine will be in the other dugout. Of course we stay in touch, but not this week. We had a longer conversation not too long ago, but that was more about things in our private lives. I’m looking forward to seeing him again in person on Saturday. There aren’t many things cooler than going up against each other in a Bundesliga match.