Two more HSV absentees? Polzin left with a mini-squad in friendly | OneFootball

Ahead of the friendly against FC Copenhagen, HSV’s injury concerns are mounting. Merlin Polzin will have only a severely depleted squad available against the Danish top club.

There is at least some positive news regarding Albert Grønbæk. The playmaker, who suffered a torn muscle fiber in his thigh in the international match against Norway almost two weeks ago, completed his first session back on the training pitch on Thursday. Together with rehab coach Sebastian Capel, the 25-year-old worked on his comeback for around half an hour. A return against TSG Hoffenheim (10 October) would still come too soon, but hopes are growing that he could be back against VfB Stuttgart (17 October).

While Grønbæk is making progress, the absences are piling up elsewhere in the squad. Alongside the Dane, Terem Moffi will also miss the match against Copenhagen. The Nigerian is still struggling with knee problems. Added to that is the absence of fellow striker Patson Daka, who returned from the Zambia national team with muscular issues.

HSV youngsters face a big test against Copenhagen

That leaves HSV increasingly short of options up front. For now, Yussuf Poulsen is the only available centre-forward. There is also a major question mark over Bakery Jatta. According to a report by Mopo, the Gambian has so far been unable to train this week due to personal matters and is unlikely to be an option for Sunday. In addition, Jordan Torunarigha was absent on Thursday due to illness. According to Bild, however, he was at least back working in the gym after a cold.

Photo: IMAGO

At the same time, there are only limited options in attack as well. With Otto Stange away with Germany’s U20s, Immanuel Pherai on duty with Suriname, and Grønbæk sidelined through injury, Fábio Vieira and Martin Adeline are practically the only remaining options in the playmaker roles. Other international players are also still away.

Even so, HSV should still be able to field a strong starting eleven. It is no coincidence that Polzin wants to approach the friendly like a competitive match. Beyond that, though, the depth is looking thin. Talents such as Thierry Sedlatschek, Jason Bissi-Mouelle and Finn Barkowsky can therefore hope for playing time. If Jatta is also ruled out, Kelvin Ojo would even have a good chance of starting on the right flank. The tough test against Copenhagen will therefore also become a big stage for the second or even third string.

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