Squad update as Rothosen prepare to take on Paderborn

Following the derby win over FC St. Pauli, Hamburger SV will face off against eighth-placed SC Paderborn at the Home Deluxe Arena on Friday (18:30 CEST). Steffen Baumgart’s side, who are heading into the game on the back of two consecutive victories over Eintracht Braunschweig (4-0) and fierce rivals St. Pauli (1-0), have the chance to pick up three more points and exert more pressure on third-placed Fortuna Düsseldorf, who will take on league leaders Holstein Kiel on Saturday in the standout fixture of the penultimate matchweek of the 2. Bundesliga season. However, any mathematical chances of moving into the promotion play-off spot hinge on HSV doing their homework ahead of their match against SCP, just as they did before their two previous wins. “We’re four points behind with two games to go, so we obviously need a lot to go our way,” said club captain Sebastian Schonlau after the derby win. One thing is for sure - the victory over Pauli will give the Rothosen a huge boost ahead of the final two matchdays.

The HSV players looked full of get-up-and-go as they kicked off a new week of training on Monday before their final away game of the season. The session began with a warm-up conducted by athletic coach Daniel Müssig, before the Rothosen split off and played nine-a-side matches on a full-sized pitch. While the rest of the squad was in action, Laszlo Benes, Bakery Jatta and youth team striker Omar Sillah all completed an individual session with rehabilitation coach Sebastain Capel. The Slovakian, who has been forced to watch HSV’s last three matches from the sidelines, will be raring to get back on the pitch and add to his impressive haul of 13 goals and 11 assists in the league this season. It goes without saying that the midfield maestro’s return to the squad will be a huge boost for HSV and Steffen Baumgart, especially given that Jonas Meffert is suspended for the clash in Paderborn after picking up his tenth booking of the season against St. Pauli. Anssi Suhonen, who was once again the first man to come off the bench in the Hamburg derby, is another option for the central midfield spot, provided that Lukasz Poreba, who has been in good form recently, slots into Meffert’s role. If he plays in Paderborn, it would bring up a half century of HSV appearances for the 23-year-old. 

Just like with the battle for third place with Fortuna Düsseldorf, there’s a long way to go before the Rothosen’s side to take on Paderborn is set in stone and Suhonen can start thinking about this milestone. Steffen Baumgart will continue to work with his players over the next three days to get them in the best shape possible for the match against Paderborn.