HSV: these players are in the running for the World Cup! | OneFootball

In recent days, the final World Cup playoff matches were completed. The field is now set. And one or two HSV professionals will also be taking part this summer in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

Almost 20 of them come from participating nations. However, only two players currently have their squad spot all but secured. One of them is, almost unsurprisingly, high-flyer Luka Vuskovic, who was still with the U21s in the fall but has now become impossible to imagine Croatia’s senior national team without. On the recent USA trip with matches against Colombia (2:1) and Brazil (1:3), the center-back was in the starting lineup, taking on his HSV role as the leader of the back three, and he also scored his first international goal against Colombia.

Even Croatian legend Luka Modric – more than twice as old as Vuskovic but still an integral part of the team – raved: “He played two very good games, he has a great future ahead of him, he just has to keep going like this.” Only an injury can now stop the 19-year-old on his way to the World Cup. The situation is similar for Miro Muheim. In the friendlies against Germany (3:4) – the 28-year-old set up the interim 3:3 – and Norway (0:0), he came off the bench in both matches, once again underlining that he is firmly planned in as the backup left-back.

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Vieira and Lokonga to the World Cup via HSV?

Ransford Königsdörffer was able to celebrate his return to the Ghana national team after around a year and a half away, making a brief appearance in the first friendly. However, coach Otto Addo had to step down after the disappointing performances against Austria and Germany. The attacking player will therefore have to impress the as-yet-unknown successor in the coming weeks.

All the other potential HSV World Cup travelers were not included in their nations’ squads for the most recent internationals. Even so, one or two still have good reason to remain hopeful. That includes Arsenal loanee Fábio Vieira, who became a defining figure in the team’s attacking play in the second half of the season and still enjoys a high reputation in Portugal thanks to his previously outstanding performances for the youth teams.

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Albert Sambi Lokonga has even played twice for Belgium. His last appearance came in November 2024, but the enormous rise in form since his move to the Hanseatic city has made him a World Cup candidate. “I’m very fit at the moment, I feel great all around, I’m playing good football. I’m only focusing on the things that are in my control,” he recently explained with regard to a possible World Cup appearance.

By contrast, Sander Tangvik has been left without playing time since arriving at HSV from Trondheim in the winter as a challenger to Daniel Heuer Fernandes. As a result, he was also absent from the most recent gathering of the Norway squad, which has qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1998. Tangvik is in danger of missing out on the historic trip to North America at the final hurdle.

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Nicolás Capaldo, meanwhile, was at least included in Argentina’s extended squad. Given the high-profile competition, a call-up from coach Lionel Scaloni appears unrealistic. Nicolai Remberg, who has repeatedly been linked with the German national team, was ultimately not an option for Julian Nagelsmann either. Damion Downs would probably be a candidate for the US team if he were in better form, having already worn the shirt five times. Most recently, however, the forward has only played for the U21s, making a home World Cup seem unrealistic for him.

Photo: Getty Images

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.