Pre-season: are HSV set to face this Premier League club? | OneFootball

Last weekend, HSV gave its fans an initial concrete preview of its 2026 summer preparations.

One thing is clear: head coach Merlin Polzin’s team will begin in early July with performance tests at the Volksparkstadion (6 and 7 July), before heading abroad. From 8 to 11 July, the professionals will hold their first training camp in Helsingør, Denmark, staying at the Marienlyst Strandhotel. The Danish national team, including HSV pro Albert Grønbaek, is currently based there.

This will be followed by a second training camp in Längenfeld, Austria, from 19 to 25 July, where the final fine-tuning for the new season is to take place. A possible short trip to the adidas “Home Ground” in Herzogenaurach is also still being planned, though it has not yet been finalized. The reason is the high demand for the training facilities. Either way, preparations for the start of competitive action should already be underway by then: the first round of the DFB-Pokal at SC Verl is scheduled for the end of August, with the Bundesliga season beginning a week later.

Photo: IMAGO

Will HSV face Everton?

Another particularly important date in the Rothosen’s summer calendar is 1 August. That is when the club’s official season-opening event is set to take place at the Volksparkstadion, including a friendly against a high-profile opponent. HSV has not yet confirmed who that will be.

On Sunday, Mopo reported, citing “usually well-informed sources” in England, that Everton FC will travel to Hamburg as the opponent. The historic Premier League club finished 13th in the past season and would undoubtedly provide an attractive test. Official confirmation of that date is also still pending.

Either way, crowds of fans are expected to flock to the Volkspark once again on 1 August. Last year, a full 46,000 spectators watched the friendly against Olympique Lyon, which their team ultimately lost heavily 0–4. If a clash with Everton does indeed happen, a large crowd is likely to be guaranteed once again.

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