Polzin: “Self-belief is an important factor”

After last week’s 2-1 victory away at Preußen Münster, HSV travel to yet another promoted side on Sunday (16th February, 13:30 CET). SSV Jahn Regensburg go into the match bottom of the table, but they have enjoyed success at home so far this season. All four of their wins in 2024/25 have come at the Jahnstadion, which is why HSV coach Merlin Polzin insisted that “everyone will be switched on”. At his pre-match press conference, the boss also spoke to the media about squad updates, his team’s approach for the match and what they need to be aware of against Regensburg.

Merlin Pölzin on…

…team news: Those players who had knocks are starting to come back and we’re able to increase the workload, so we’ve had Aboubaka Soumahoro and Fabio Balde involved in parts of team training again this week. We haven’t been using it as an excuse, but we‘re happy that the injury list is slowly getting shorter. How the squad and the starting line-up will shape up on Sunday depends on individual factors and the opposition. Every player brings different strengths to the table, and we’ll use this week in training to see what is the best fit for us, for the game, and for the team we’re up against. That’s why it’s never a decision against a player, but rather for one. The lads are on board with that, put their egos to one side and give their all every day. There’s a real togetherness in the team and no animosity.

“Everyone will be switched on and certainly won’t make the mistake of underestimating any opposition”

…his impression of the team: There’s something that’s grown within the team that is really pleasing to see as coaching staff. You can tell that everyone is committed to this group and that they stand behind each other, as we have a big goal that we can only achieve together. Every single game counts if we want to achieve that. The players have internalised that and it’s lovely to see them living it out every day. That’s what makes us hard to beat as a team; look at the setbacks we had in Berlin or Münster. We’ve used that to develop this sense of self-belief, particularly in terms of how we deal with certain situations. We don’t want to force things, but rather adjust to the opponents and the situation, but always in our own way.

…the upcoming opponents: We’re up against a side that have picked up a number of points and wins at home. The deservedly beat Hertha BSC there recently, so everyone will be switched on and certainly won’t make the mistake of underestimating any opposition. Of course we’ll go into the game with belief in ourselves and our strengths after the recent run of results. Self-belief is an important factor for us, but humility is a key attribute as well. After all, we know that Regensburg are strong in the challenge with their back-five. They can win possession back well and are strong on the break. We want to be dominant and imposing going forward, but will also have to have good shape on turnovers, so that we can defend our goal as well as we can when they look to counter.