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Press Conference

10.08.18

"We know what we’re coming up against"

Ahead of HSV’s upcoming away game in Sandhausen, Christian Titz spoke to the press about personnel, the opposition and his return home.

A week has passed since the opening day defeat to Holstein Kiel, and now HSV face a trip to SV Sandhausen for their second game in Bundesliga 2. On Sunday at 13:15 CEST, the Rothosen will play their first away game in Germany’s second tier. The trip down south is an important one – it’s the team’s first chance to bounce back and get points on the board. It is also a return home for Christian Titz, who warned his side not to underestimate SVS: "They have a well structured team that has spent seven consecutive years in the division."   

During the pre-match press conference, our head coach spoke about...

... new signing Leo Lacroix: Due to our current injury problems, it was necessary to make a change in this position. Leo Lacroix is a player who brings a certain amount of physicality. He is good in the air and can also help the team play out from the back, which is why we got him. He already made a good first impression at training.  

... personnel: Matti Steinmann tested his fitness separately from the team today and that went really well, but we’ll only make a decision on the squad tomorrow after the final training session, including a potential debut for our two new signings. Filip Kostic is also still a squad player who we will continue to consider until a final decision is reached.   

... his expectations of the coming opposition: Sandhausen are not the underdogs they’re often portrayed to be. They’ve played a big role in the second division for some time now and they have a young and ambitious coach who I know very well. So I also know we’ll be coming up against a well-prepared opposition who are disciplined at the back. It could well be that Sandhausen start on the offensive and don’t just sit back – they will certainly be aggressive in their challenges and we have to face that head on. They will set up to be flexible and we must be aware of that. We know what to expect.

... his return home: A lot has changed there over the years. There didn’t used to be a single seated section of the stadium, let alone a roof. This earned them the nickname “The FC Bayern of the Oberliga”. It will be very interesting to play in this stadium and I’m really looking forward to the encounter, not least because I still know so many of the people there, a lot of whom will be attending on Sunday.

... his players’ attitude: We all know that we’re playing in the second division now. We know the kind of opponents we’ll be coming up against and we are psychologically ready for it. I expect 100 percent from every one of my players. We also know that our oppositions will be throwing everything at us – anything can happen at any time in this division.

... a potential appearance from Pierre-Michel Lasogga: Pierre always commits himself to the team, whether he’s played or not. He’s a supportive player who help the other lads. The fact that we are coming up against a physical side does speak in favour of a potential appearance. He can break up the play well, he has good positioning and has his strengths in the box too. Pierre is made for games like this.