“We’re expecting a very tough away game”

It’s only two days to go until a double-matchday for HSV on Saturday, with both the men’s (kick-off 15:30 CEST at the Red Bull Arena) and women’s (kick-off 14:00 CEST at the Volksparkstadion against Jena) teams gearing up for more Bundesliga action. Head coach Merlin Polzin was full of praise for the women’s side as he began his press conference, saying: “We follow each other very closely and, as one HSV family, we’re thrilled with how the women’s team have started the season and how much they’ve developed over the last year.” He then turned his attention to the men’s side’s upcoming game at RB Leipzig, taking questions on...

...the squad: The situation is very positive at the moment. Our international call-ups have been gradually rejoining the group here. Only Warmed Omari and Fabio Vieira are unavailable. All the other players are firing on all cylinders and cannot wait to head to Leipzig. They’re itching to put in a good performance on Saturday.

...possible changes to the starting XI: The current thinking is that we’ll set out similarly to how we started the game against Mainz, as we were delighted with the performance we put in that day. It’s worth saying, though, that I’ve seen a lot of energy in training recently from those players who didn’t start, and I can really sense the drive and determination from every member of the squad to earn themselves a starting spot. This is exactly the kind of attitude I want to see from the whole team. It’s all about pushing and encouraging one another to perform at the highest possible level, and we’ve made great progress on this over the last few weeks. For this reason, it’s not inconceivable that we might make changes to our starting line-up. 

“We’re coming up against one of the division’s top teams”

...this weekend’s opponent: The club went through a bit of an overhaul this summer and are operating with more balance than is typical for the kind of football we’ve seen from RB Leipzig in the past. The team has come on a long way, and we’re absolutely facing a very strong side littered with top-class players. They’re honestly a joy to watch, so dynamic on the pitch and with a clear understanding of how they want to play. They have a lot of incredible young talents, with blinding pace and a real knack for driving at goal. We’re coming up against one of the division’s top teams here, who’ll want to keep their momentum going after a strong performance away at Dortmund. Their development so far this season is something to be applauded. Needless to say, it’s going to be a very tough away game.

...the development of the team: The process that I have tried to make clear since day one is, of course, not complete after matchday 6. We have to keep putting in the work in every area if we want to be able to compete at this highest level. We work this way because we demand so much of ourselves. We need to encourage exactly this kind of culture at HSV and amongst the whole squad. It’s all about making that little bit of progress every day and getting the most out of yourself and your teammates. We’re on the right track in this regard. We know that we’ve got a very tough game against a very good opponent right in front of us.

...a return to the Red Bull Arena for Yussuf Poulsen: He is such an accomplished professional, who’s had a lot of incredible games in a RBL shirt, so he’ll obviously always be seen as a special player in Leipzig. Of course, we’ve been discussing the game as it approaches, combining his personal expertise with our own analysis to set us up as best as possible. That’s very much a part of a professional preparation in the run up to a game like this. We’re being very cautious with him, as we both want him to stay involved for as long as possible. It’s less about getting him back on the pitch to play 90 minutes the second he’s ready, rather we’re concentrating on how to get the most out of his outstanding quality – on and off the pitch – for as long as we can. We know that he’s fit and available, and that he’s determined to get back out there and play again. It’s good to know that he’s so hungry and driven to help out his team in any way possible.