Currently ill: HSV to face Union Berlin without Polzin? | OneFootball

The HSV press conference ahead of the important home game against 1. FC Union Berlin offered some rather unusual scenes.

It was not head coach Merlin Polzin who took a seat at the podium, but his assistant Loic Fave. The reason: Polzin is currently ill. Whether the 39-year-old will be able to stand on the sidelines at the sold-out Volksparkstadion on Saturday (3:30 p.m., Sky) is still uncertain.

Fave, however, gave a cautious all-clear. “Get well soon, Merlin! An open-plan office also has its downsides,” said the 33-year-old with a wink, explaining that several members of the coaching staff had recently been under the weather. “Hopefully, it’s not too bad, so he’ll be fit in time. We don’t expect him to miss the weekend.” Should Polzin still have to sit out, they are prepared: “If that’s the case, Merlin fully trusts us as the coaching team. We make a lot of decisions together.”

A similar situation occurred on February 21 of last year. Back then, Fave, Richard Krohn, and others led HSV to a commanding 3-0 win over 1. FC Kaiserslautern in Polzin’s absence.

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Sportingly, a challenging task awaits with the “Eisernen.” Fave is expecting above all a patient performance from his team. “Union Berlin stands very clearly for a certain style of football,” he emphasized. Steffen Baumgart’s team defends compactly and deep, which is why “there will usually be fewer scoring chances.” What’s crucial is “to be quicker than the opponent in many situations” and to execute transitions cleanly. In addition, HSV needs to “play more courageously and faster going forward” and create more presence in the final line.

There is also excitement in the reunion with Union coach Steffen Baumgart, who worked for the Rothosen between February and November 2024. “I’m really looking forward to seeing Steffen again,” said Fave. It will be interesting to see “what quip he’ll throw at us before the game.”

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