"Focused on bringing clarity to our game"

Only a handful of journalists could be found gathered in the press conference room at the Volksparkstadion on the afternoon of Good Friday, as HSV head coach Steffen Baumgart prepared to answer questions ahead of Sunday's trip to face SpVgg Greuther Fürth. Hear what Steffen Baumgart had to say about…

...the squad: We currently have three players that are still working towards their comebacks. Jean-Luc Dompe and Ignace Van der Brempt are making good progress but aren't ready to be included in the matchday squad for Fürth yet. Noah Katterbach is the furthest along of the three, and in his case, he's progressed well enough so that we can make a decision at short notice on whether he'll be able to be there or not. Every other player returned home fit and healthy from international duty, so that we have nearly a full squad to choose from. 

“We want to keep hold of third place over the coming weeks, while also vying to make a move up into second when possible."

...the current situation: We used the international break to recover a bit ahead of the season run-in, which is an important thing to take the time to do. We then trained well and focused on bringing clarity to our game. We want to keep hold of third place over the coming weeks, while also vying to make a move up into second when possible. In order to do so, we need to do our homework, which is to win games. The league is very evenly-matched this season and every game is a tough one, which is why there's no use to get caught up in calculating potential scenarios. 

...the game against Greuther Fürth: We're up against a team that are strong in possession and that have a clear plan. Fürth are able to defend deep and also push up high in attack. The only thing that's let them down a bit recently is their results. However, Fürth are strong at home and we will be well-prepared going into Sunday's game. We're expecting an aggressive opponent, and we want to press high and put them under pressure. It won't be easy, but we have the quality needed to win this game.