Personal score to settle? HSV star especially fired up for Union! | OneFootball

For many HSV fans, 1. FC Union Berlin is just another Bundesliga opponent. But that's not the case for Jordan Torunarigha.

The central defender associates the match with much more than just three points. It's also about a piece of the past. Torunarigha grew up in Berlin and played for Hertha BSC for many years. In total, he played 81 professional games for the Old Lady.

Accordingly, the reunion with the city rival is special. "When you play against a Berlin team as a Berliner, you are doubly motivated and want to win at all costs," the 28-year-old explained to Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg.

It's a duel with a personal touch. Torunarigha especially remembers magical moments in the Hertha jersey, such as in the DFB-Pokal against Dynamo Dresden. "The moment was incredible. Everything pointed to us losing the game and being knocked out. And then a Berlin boy scores the equalizer in the Olympiastadion in the overtime of extra time in front of the Ostkurve to make it 3:3. And we win in the penalty shootout," he said in retrospect, getting enthusiastic. "That was special."

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HSV: Torunarigha in the Starting Lineup Against Union?

Now Torunarigha wants to write new chapters. This time in the HSV jersey. The motivation against Union is likely to be automatically a bit higher. The only question is whether the summer newcomer will be allowed to start against his favorite opponent.

Because after consistently stable performances against Borussia Mönchengladbach and FC St. Pauli (both 0:0) at the start of the second half of the season, Torunarigha recently found himself only on the bench against FC Bayern (2:2) and 1. FC Heidenheim (2:0). In Heidenheim, he was at least allowed to play in the second half due to a looming red card for his direct competitor Daniel Elfadli.

Nevertheless, HSV currently has a kind of luxury problem in central defense. Besides the undisputedly set Luka Vuskovic, Warmed Omari, Nicolas Capaldo, as well as Elfadli and Torunarigha, compete for two available spots.

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