Hamburger SV vs. Holstein Kiel DFB-Pokal preview: Team news and predicted lineups | OneFootball

More than a year and a half has passed since these sides last met, and they reconvene on Wednesday evening at the Volksparkstadion with a place in the quarter-finals on the line.

Three-time Pokal winners HSV should head into the tie with renewed optimism after their dramatic weekend victory. Fabio Vieira’s 94th-minute winner against Stuttgart secured their first league win in six attempts and brought a welcome lift ahead of cup action.

HSV reached this stage courtesy of a narrow 1-0 win away at fellow Bundesliga outfit Heidenheim. Merlin Polzin’s team controlled much of the match and eventually broke through seven minutes from time when Robert Glatzel converted from the spot to send them through.

Wednesday’s match also offers a personal storyline, as midfielder Nicolai Remberg faces the club he left in the summer. He made no secret of his excitement following the draw:

“I already said in the dressing room that we’d be playing Kiel at home, I just had a feeling. I’m really looking forward to this game - we want to make sure HSV wins at home against Kiel for the first time.”

Kiel, meanwhile, have struggled for consistency since last season’s relegation. Marcel Rapp’s side sit in the lower half of the table and have won just one of their last eight league games. Even so, having already claimed a Bundesliga scalp in the previous round, they will see this fixture as a chance to quieten some critics, with most of the pressure falling on the hosts.

That notable scalp came away to Wolfsburg, where Kiel capitalised on a first-half red card to seal their progress. One of their standout performers this season, Alexander Bernhardsson, kept his composure from the penalty spot to book their place in the round of 16.

This match also marks a milestone for Marcel Rapp, who will oversee his 150th game in charge of Kiel. With 5,700 away supporters making the short trip to Hamburg, the head coach will be determined to make the occasion memorable.

The clubs have met only once before in the DFB-Pokal, a game HSV won 5-0 in Kiel in 2007. The Storks have not won in Hamburg since 2018, although Rapp has lost just one of his six meetings with HSV.

Team news: 

Robert Glatzel suffered a muscle strain against Stuttgart and joins Warmed Omari, Yussuf Poulsen and Daniel Elfadli on the absentee list for HSV. 

For Kiel Steven Skrzybski, Andu Kelati and Carl Johansson remain unavailable. Robert Wagner, however, is back in contention for the squad.

Predicted lineups: 

Hamburger SV (3-4-3): Peretz (GK) - Capaldo, Vušković, Torunarigha - Gocholeishvili, Vieira, Remberg, Muheim - Philippe, Königsdörffer, Dompé 

Holstein Kiel (3-4-2-1): Krumrey (GK) - Zec, Komenda, Ivezić - Rosenboom, Knudsen, Davidson, Tolkin - Bernhardsson, Therkelsen - Kaprálik