Bayer boss Hjulmand: HSV are very strong at home | OneFootball

Today, Tuesday, Bayer Leverkusen is visiting Hamburg. Coach Kasper Hjulmand had words of praise for HSV.

“A great opponent, they have played very well at home,” said the Dane at the press conference regarding the promoted team, which earned 14 of its 16 points at the Volksparkstadion. Accordingly, he concluded with a view to the botched start of the year against VfB Stuttgart (1:4): “We need to play much better.” In the first half, his team was completely off their game and conceded four goals.

Leverkusen found no solutions against the aggressive man-to-man pressing of the Swabians. Additionally, defensive lapses were ruthlessly punished by VfB. Such weak 45 minutes will likely not be tolerated by the Werkself again. They would not be tolerated by Hjulmand either. “The most important thing is that our team is ready to play at a better level. Then we have a good chance,” he made clear.

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Hjulmand Highlights HSV's Strengths

The 53-year-old expects significant resistance: “I expect a tough game. They have scored against Frankfurt and Dortmund. They beat Stuttgart. In Hamburg, they are very, very good.” Unlike the mentioned competitors in the race for the Champions League, Leverkusen does not want to drop points at the Volkspark. Just in December, they suffered a 0:2 defeat at FC Augsburg, another relegation candidate.

The skillful Bayer was caught off guard, especially in the first half. Similar to FCA, HSV might try the same approach. “They are an opponent with a lot of speed, good transition play, and compact defense,” said Hjulmand, who anticipates a “tight game.” Christian Kofane and Ibrahim Maza, who were eliminated from the Africa Cup over the weekend, are still unavailable. Additionally, the participation of top scorer Patrik Schick is questionable.

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