Press Conference

Squad update prior to the Hamburg derby

Captain Sebastian Schonlau has returned to training, but it’s currently unclear as to whether the defender is in the running for the squad - Tim Walter says that patience is key. Here is the squad update.

The long-awaited derby against FC St. Pauli is fast approaching, and excitement is in the air. On Thursday afternoon, the boys completed their final training session in preparation for Friday’s blockbuster match between the teams occupying both first and second place in the league table, which naturally is the current talk of the town. On the matchday itself, the team will complete a midmorning activation session, as the finishing touches and high intensity work were ticked off the list on Thursday.

Schonlau and Van der Brempt return to training

Only Ludovit Reis was missing from training following his shoulder operation, as well as Anssi Suhonen, Valon Zumberi and Omar Megeed, who completed a gym session instead. Captain Sebastian Schonlau and Ignace van der Brempt were both involved in team training again this week after having recently recovered from their respective muscle injuries.

In the press conference, Tim Walter was hesitant to reveal the extent to which the pair would be involved in Friday evening’s derby. “They are making progress,” shared the head coach, “but we will make our decision in close coordination with the players and our medical team. We don’t want to jump the gun on anything, because we still have important games to play after the derby. We now need to be patient with Sebastian Schonlau, because he was injured for a few months, so we shouldn’t be expecting a miracle to occur. However, I’m really pleased that Bascho’s back in action, as he’s our captain and my right-hand man.”

Walter has options at centre-back

Centre-half Dennis Hadzikadunic (left) is also fully involved in team training. Having been suspended for the clash against Eintracht Braunschweig due to an accumulation of yellow cards, he is able to play again after serving his one-match ban. “I’m really happy that he’s an option again for us,” said Walter, without wanting to disclose whether the Bosnian will return directly to the starting XI.

“Gui Ramos and Stephan Ambrosius have done a good job as of late, but it’s good for me and the whole team that we’ve got more options at centre-half.” We’ll have to wait until Friday evening to find out who will form the centre-back pairing. The referee for the 110th city derby will be the very experienced Felix Zwayer, who has refereed 218 Bundesliga matches, 108 in the second division and more than 50 international matches in the Champions League and Europa League. But even for the experienced Zwayer, this Hamburg derby is set to be a special match.