Walter: “Games between northern clubs are always feisty”

Hamburger SV will take on Holstein Kiel on Saturday, 11th November (13:00 CET). It’s sure to be a special occasion, as both sides are from North Germany and right in the mix of things at the top of the table. It’s all the more special for Tim Walter, as he is taking on his former side. HSV’s head coach revealed that some of his players will be unavailable for the trip to Kiel in Thursday’s press conference. Walter spoke in detail about...

...the squad situation: We have six centre-backs on paper. One of them has been suspended for a long time and another has a long-term injury.  Two of our centre-backs are also carrying knocks at the moment. It’s not a nice situation to be in. I think that Gui Ramos will be able to play at the weekend, but Stephan Ambrosius won’t. Van der Brempt, Reis and Suhonen are also unavailable. We’ll have to wait for a while before they’re all ready to play again, but we’ll be able to deal with all the injuries. We’ve already proved that we can.  

“We’re going into the game with confidence”

...the upcoming game: Games between northern clubs are always feisty. They’ll be a lot of big tackles on Saturday, but that’s one of our strengths, so we’ve got a positive mindset heading into the match. I’m expecting a game between two teams that like to pass, but who are also equally comfortable sending long balls forward and crosses into the box. It doesn’t matter to us whether we’re at home or away – we just want to play our game and win. The match against Kiel is no different. We haven’t been too bad away from home recently. We’ve drawn twice in the league and got to the next round of the DFB-Pokal.

...HSV and Kiel’s seasons so far: They’re very rigorous in Kiel. The club and the team are continuously improving and they have a lot of depth in key positions. It really pays off and explains why they play at such a high level. Of course, I’m also looking forward to the game because I know a lot of people there. We’re going into the game with confidence, because we’re doing really well at the moment. We’re only two points off the top of the league, we’re in the last 16 of the DFB-Pokal, and we can go to Kiel and get the three points.