Baumgart: “These are the kind of games that I get up for every morning”

After consecutive wins at home against promoted sides Münster (4-1) and Regensburg (5-0), Hamburger SV are away on matchday 6 in the second division. The Rothosen will play away at 1. FC Kaiserslautern, a clash between two of Germany’s biggest clubs, both rich in history. It’s therefore fitting that the game will be played at the primetime slot of 20:30 CEST on Saturday evening. “These are the kind of games that I get up for every morning,” explained Steffen Baumgart at today’s press conference, referring to the special atmosphere in Kaiserslautern. The 52-year-old spoke in detail about…

…the squad: Immanuel Pherai and Daniel Elfadli have both been managed closely this week due to illness and minor issues. We’ll make a decision tomorrow on their availability for the weekend. Bakery Jatta is making progress in his rehab work. We hope that he can return to team training soon. Everyone else is fit and healthy.

"We want to pass this test"

…the atmosphere at the Betzenberg: The ground is one of the best when it comes to the atmosphere, especially in the final 15 minutes when their own team is shooting towards their fans. As a player, I experienced myself what it’s like there when free-kicks, corners and crosses fly into the box. It’s a tricky place for any team to go, but we want to pass this test. A game like this is a chance to develop: How do you approach the game? How do you deal with the atmosphere? These are the kind of games that I get up for every morning. I’m really excited.

...Ludovit Reis’ role: He’s someone that has played a number of games here. He’s also a young player though, someone who has generally experienced good things in the game. However, there will also be periods in football where you have to fight hard for things, which he is doing now. We’ve spoken a lot to each other this week. It’s important to keep communicating and to hear his thoughts on things. It shows how open and clear he communicates, but, at the same time, he knows it’s not easy right now. That’s what is special about our squad this season. You have no guarantee that you’re going to play just because you were a regular in the past. You have to keep performing. Everyone in the team is ready to fight for their place and for the team. I’m pretty confident that Ludo knows how important he is to us. He will remain so and we’ll still get a lot of enjoyment out of watching him play in the future.