Training update ahead of trip to Freiburg

Omari back, Glatzel in parts of training

The players enjoyed a weekend of training and then a day off on Monday, but now the intensity is ramping up at the Volkspark ahead of the first match of 2026. Head coach Merlin Polzin had 25 outfield players and three goalkeepers to work with on Tuesday, including centre-back Warmed Omari, who took to the training pitch for the first time since his ankle injury and subsequent surgery. The 25-year-old Frenchman was involved in the warm-up section of the roughly 75-minute session, before joining striker Robert Glatzel and rehab coach Sebastian Capel to work individually. “Bobby managed to do a little bit more with the rest of the team. We’re looking to gradually increase his workload,” explained Polzin. “He’s fully on track. It was important that he worked well during the break and has now integrated well into first-team training. We’ll just have to be patient and see how things go.”

The recently injured Giorgi Gocholeishvili and Alexander Rössing-Lelesiit were almost fully back in training, with the Georgian just ending his session a few minutes early. Winger Fabio Baldé missed out due to illness, as did youngsters Moritz Reimers and Fernando Dickes. Goalkeeper Daniel Peretz is currently not training, as he holds talks regarding his future at the club. Polzin was full of praise for young goalkeeper Hannes Hermann (20), who could potentially be in the matchday squad for Freiburg. “Hannes is a prime example of the pathway a young player can take at HSV from the academy to the first team. He’s developed fantastically since his first training session with the pros and has taken another big step forward this season through his appearances with the U21s, especially in terms of his composure and personality on the pitch. That gives us a very good feeling that we have a strong goalkeeping unit. We have full confidence in him.”

Polzin expects winger Jean-Luc Dompé to return to full training this week after his Achilles tendon issues that kept him on a reduced workload at the end of last year. The Frenchman led the team’s warm-up on Tuesday, before they split up into small teams and played small games while continuously expanding the pitch. Board member Eric Huwer, director of football Claus Costa and head of scouting Sebastian Dirscherl were all in attendance to watch the team train. The aim of the next few days is to ramp up the intensity and prepare the team as best as possible for the challenge that awaits them in Freiburg.