Fresh qualities & light revolution: what HSV can expect from BVB | OneFootball

The new Bundesliga season is finally kicking off! Hamburger SV will feature in the first Saturday night top match on the very first matchday. And against a very attractive opponent too: BVB. 

This clash will take place at 6:30 p.m. at Signal Iduna Park. Sky will broadcast the match live. BVB lost their first competitive game against Bayern in the Supercup, while HSV came through their cup match without any trouble.

Both teams seem well prepared for the new season. But what can HSV expect in Dortmund? And what has changed?

An exciting transfer summer

Borussia Dortmund largely strengthened in the summer in line with the motto “youth leads the way.” Joane Gadou, Kaua Prates, and Konstantinos Karetsas are all under 20, Giannis Konstantelias is 23, and Joey Veerman 27. In addition, players like Goncalo Inacio are expected to come more and more into focus. In short: Dortmund are younger, fresher, more agile. And the players they brought in fit the overall setup better than the squad did last season. At least, that is the plan.

Photo: Getty Images

Preseason already showed where things could be heading. And that was still without Nico Schlotterbeck, who remains sidelined with a long-term injury. BVB played with more fluidity, and positional interchanges were more frequent. The Black-and-Yellows once again have genuine ballers in the squad, along with one or two alternatives on the bench. The big issue in Dortmund is and remains consistency. Last season because of a lack of the right player profiles, now because of the many young players.

What HSV need to watch out for

Dortmund certainly have the potential to be stronger on the ball than they were last season. Konstantelias and Karetsas are definitely players capable of producing moments of brilliance. The problem for opponents is that these players can operate in tight spaces and also shine when they are given room. So Dortmund are less predictable than they were last season.

New signing Gadou also brings, in addition to strong physicality in defence, a new quality on attacking set pieces. On top of that, BVB also have players available who can deliver dangerous dead balls.

Over the course of preseason, however, there were one or two issues in defensive transition. When opponents moved the ball quickly and, above all, pressed high and aggressively, Dortmund looked vulnerable. The home side in Saturday’s match still have some room for improvement, especially in build-up play.

For HSV, that means the main focus has to be on their own defence. At the same time, it is essential that they keep showing intent going forward from time to time. If they do, an upset could be possible.

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