Back to Hamburg: goalkeeper swap in the DFB-Pokal | OneFootball

Alex Meyer is returning to his old home as BVB’s goalkeeper: the keeper will start between the posts for Gregor Kobel in the first round against HEBC. BVB coach Niko Kovac has already announced this. For Meyer, the trip to Hamburg will be a special one: the goalkeeper was born in Bad Oldesloe, around 30 km away as the crow flies, and played for the youth teams and the reserve side of Hamburger SV between 2005 and 2012. He was a ball boy at the Volksparkstadion, but never played there for the first team.

Kovac has generally announced rotation for the cup match: “We’ll see how the guys who played at the weekend are feeling.” After that, it will be decided who starts. One or two changes in the starting lineup beyond the goalkeeper position are already planned.

Ramy Bensebaini has been suspended for two DFB-Pokal matches following his red card in the Supercup and will miss the game against HEBC, as will long-term absentees Emre Can and Nico Schlotterbeck.

Konstantelias undergoing rehab in Dortmund

A player who also will not feature took up a lot of space at the matchday press conference: Giannis Konstantelias tore his cruciate ligament in his first Bundesliga game against HSV after an impressive first half and his first goal for BVB, and will be out for an indefinite period. Kovac did not want to give a precise prognosis: “We first have to wait for the operation, and then we’ll see exactly what was done there.”

The coach remembers the situation in the second half: “Of course, it was a shock for all of us. It had an impact on my team, but also on our fans. You could feel that in the stadium.” He describes Konstantelias as “composed, disappointed, very emotional. He is convinced he will come back stronger, we are convinced of that too, and we will help him.” The Greek will undergo his rehab in Dortmund. On the one hand because of the medical care, and on the other to maintain contact with his teammates: “It’s also about supporting him.”Christina Reinke

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