A sleeping giant? This is what Dortmund chief Watzke thinks of HSV! | OneFootball

Before the away game in Hamburg, Hans-Joachim Watzke had words of praise for HSV. The BVB boss attests the club to have immense potential.

After home games against St. Pauli, Heidenheim, Mainz, and Wolfsburg, fans at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion can look forward to a real highlight this Saturday (3:30 p.m., Sky) for the first time since their return to the Bundesliga. It’s been a full eight years since HSV last hosted Borussia Dortmund in their own stadium. In September 2017, the Black and Yellows triumphed in the Hanseatic city with a clear 3-0 victory.

After a long absence, HSV is now back in the top tier of German football—and much to the delight of BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke. The 66-year-old, himself chairman of the DFL supervisory board and for years one of the most influential men in the Bundesliga, raved about the return of the “Rothosen” in a conversation with Mopo.

“HSV is very relevant for German football,” said Watzke, emphasizing how pleased he was about the North Germans’ promotion. More than that: back in 2012, he once stated that HSV, as a whole package, had more potential than Borussia Dortmund. This statement already caused a stir at the time and, given the sporting gap between the two clubs, doesn’t seem particularly current now.

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On paper, however, both the city and the club offer much that promises great prospects. “Of course, the years in the second division have cost the club substance,” Watzke admits. “But HSV has a huge and loyal fan base, a great and very wealthy hometown, and a very large surrounding environment.”

For now, though, the former “Dino” is a promoted team that first has to prove itself in the Bundesliga. On Saturday, Merlin Polzin’s team could send a strong signal with a win against BVB and remind its supporters of earlier times, when both clubs actually competed on equal footing.

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