It'll be touch and go! Injured HSV star battles for Augsburg clash | OneFootball

HSV’s squad situation is certainly tense five days before the key match against FC Augsburg. Nicolas Capaldo’s availability remains doubtful.

The defensive player is working flat out on his comeback after suffering an abdominal muscle injury. But time is running short. There are only a few days left until the home game against the Fuggerstadt club (Saturday, 3:30 p.m.)!

Capaldo has already been out since the beginning of March, but he has at least returned to individual sessions with the ball and completed his first sprints. Coach Merlin Polzin was cautiously optimistic on Monday. “I’m still hoping I can count on Capi for the Augsburg game. In any case, it feels significantly better than it did in recent weeks,” the 35-year-old was quoted as saying by Bild. At the same time, Polzin urged patience: “He still has pain with certain movements.”

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HSV coach Polzin: “Maybe it will still be enough for him”

The balancing act is obvious. On the one hand, HSV urgently needs its hard-tackling utility man. That is especially true because regular holding midfielder Nicolai Remberg is suspended due to yellow-card accumulation. Capaldo, who has mostly been used as a center-back in recent months, could take the vacant spot in defensive midfield.

On the other hand, with the decisive final stretch of the season approaching, Polzin does not want to rush anything: “Just throwing him in would be risky. But maybe it will still be enough for him.” The key factor will likely be whether Capaldo returns to team training in time over the course of this week.

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Apart from Capaldo, the squad situation is tense as well. Jean-Luc Dompé is still struggling with foot problems, and his availability is doubtful. “Jean-Luc can’t put weight on it. He is receiving treatment. But it hasn’t improved significantly,” Polzin explained. As for Bakery Jatta, the match comes too soon anyway.

The absences are forcing HSV to improvise. Polzin also admitted that Remberg “cannot be replaced one for one.” Instead, other players will have to bring their strengths to the table. A key role could fall to Daniel Elfadli, who, like Capaldo, can play both at center-back and in defensive midfield.

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