Match Preview
16.08.19
With inside information ready for Bochum
When HSV take on VfL Bochum at the Volksparkstadion this evening for a number of players on both sides it will be a meeting with former teammates and colleagues. Whether that’s an advantage for either side, will become clear during the game.
Whether eight goals conceded in the first three competitive games of the season was a worry for Robin Dutt, was a question that Dieter Hecking wasn’t prepared to answer in his pre-match press conference before Friday night’s game with VfL Bochum (kick-off 6:30pm CEST). HSV’s experienced manager will certainly have a number of ideas of how to break down the tonight’s visitors. However, Hecking will also be able to call on the services of two ex-Bochum players, namely Jan Gyamerah and Lukas Hinterseer, who know tonight’s opponents inside out, having both left the Ruhr valley in May to up sticks and move to Hamburg. “If the manager has got any questions, then Luki and I will be certain to answer them for him. We certainly know a thing or two about the Bochum team,” Gyamerah confirmed, having spent 8 years at Bochum, playing in the famous white and blue all the way from the under-15s to the first team. The interest from friends and family is certainly just as big as the interest from outside for the game: “All in all I had to get 18 tickets for various friends and family members for the game. My girlfriend also comes from Bochum so all of her family are coming as well. I’m really looking forward to the game but the most important thing is getting those three points,” the right-back said, focussed on the task at hand.
Consistency is the name of the game
His ex-VfL and current HSV teammate Hinterseer is also excited for the game. “I think everyone always enjoys seeing their old teammates. Obviously it’s not that long ago that we played for Bochum ourselves. After the game we’ll definitely go and say hello but before the game the focus is completely on the task at hand, and we want to win more than anything,” the striker imparted to HSV.de. With a victory, HSV could not only temporarily take over at the top of the table, but also reinforce the good performances shown in the first three games of the season. “For us it’s about being consistent. Every positive result creates stability within the team, which is good as in some phases in games we can be a bit shaky,” was Hecking’s assessment in Thursday’s press conference. This is applicable for both the attacking and defensive units, with Hinterseer playing a particularly crucial role going forward for the Rothosen. In the DFB Pokal first-round tie against Chemnitz on Sunday Hinterseer broke his duck for the club, with a beautiful swivel and volley to make the score 2-2. The 28-year-old Austrian is hoping it will be the first of many.
“Slowly the boys are starting to realise where I like to have the ball. And I’m also slowly learning where the boys like to play the ball into me and at what point. That still needs a bit more time but we’re certainly heading in the right direction,” was how Hinterseer sees his partnership with his teammates slowly blossoming. “At the end of the day it doesn’t matter who scores the goals as long as we win games.” Last season both games between HSV and Bochum ended goalless. Both times Hamburg were fancied to take home all three points, and saw it more as two dropped points than one gained. “I know how it feels to be on the other side. Every team wants to frustrate HSV. And the longer it takes for us to score, the more that will motivate them. We have to stay cool and calm,” was Hinterseer’s final message before the game.