“In my head since the draw” – ex-HSV talent keen on reunion! | OneFootball

Bilal Yalcinkaya spent nine years at HSV and moved to SC Verl in the summer, who are HSV’s opening opponents in the DFB-Pokal.

Before that, he was denied his breakthrough in his hometown. Yet the lively attacking player initially seemed to have a bright future, having been part of Germany’s 2023 U17 World Cup-winning team and contributing two goals. “The World Cup is still present in my mind; I will never forget those moments,” Yalcinkaya said in an interview with Abendblatt. The memory of the triumph in Indonesia likely helped keep his love of football alive during the past season. He missed large parts of it due to a broken foot.

“I spent a lot of time with my family. On my own, I probably would have fallen into a crisis,” Yalcinkaya said about his difficult spell. In Hamburg, even after his comeback, he no longer had an appealing sporting outlook, with training sessions with the first team and appearances for the Regionalliga side being the best he could hope for. His move to third-division club Verl is therefore not only the long-awaited step into professional football, but also a fresh start.

Photo: IMAGO

Yalcinkaya expects an open exchange with HSV

“I feel completely at home here. It’s a bit quieter than Hamburg, but much more like a family,” Yalcinkaya said about his first roughly two months in East Westphalia. In the league matches so far against Aachen (1:4) and Duisburg (2:4), he was in the starting lineup, but could not prevent the defeats, despite his side leading at halftime in both games. The 20-year-old also failed to register a goal contribution.

Even so, he feels well involved in the attacking play: “I’m allowed to move freely. I’m not supposed to stay glued to the touchline. In the last match, I played as a false nine.” Yalcinkaya may therefore also be difficult for HSV to pin down. In any case, his focus had already turned early to the cup tie: “I’m बेहद excited. Since the draw, the match has been on my mind.”

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Accordingly, Yalcinkaya has clear ideas about how the match will unfold: “HSV also like to have the ball. It will be fun and not one of those battling games.” SC Verl are known for an attacking, possession-based style of play. Last season in the 3. Liga, they scored an impressive 82 goals and, despite losing some key players — but with a highly motivated Yalcinkaya in their ranks — they will not hide from the Rothosen either.

Photo: IMAGO

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