Hamburg –
The revived Hamburger SV wants to achieve at least the impossible with its short-term coach – if not a miracle.
“Maybe we still have a chance,” said Horst Hrubesch, who was physically affected by the 5-2 (3-1) victory over 1. FC Nürnberg. “You have to work a bit,” said the sweaty 70-year-old at Sky.
In the race for promotion to the Bundesliga, VfL Bochum (63 points) and Holstein Kiel (59) have the best cards. “We can no longer hope for Kiel,” said Hrubesch, thus settling on the two direct climbers. But the relegation place that Greuther Fürth (58) occupies is the goal of the former HSV top striker. “We’ll put everything into the last two games,” he said. The HSV has three points less (55), but the supposedly easier remaining program. Fürth still has to play against Paderborn and Düsseldorf.
On Sunday it goes to penultimate VfL Osnabrück, a week later at home against 16. Eintracht Braunschweig. Both teams are in a relegation battle and will meet the Hamburgers with great passion. “Everyone downstairs makes life difficult for you,” said Hrubesch, citing the cause of the messed up second half of his team: “You didn’t have confidence in yourself.” Why the turnaround succeeded within a week, “I can’t explain either,” said Hrubesch.
Holstein Kiel has brought itself into a top position through the goal of attacker Fin Bartels to 1-0 over Hannover 96. The Schleswig-Holsteiners also have the catch-up game on Thursday against Jahn Regensburg up their sleeves. This means that KSV Holstein has everything in their own hands in the fight for the first Bundesliga promotion in the club’s history: Two wins in the three remaining games against Regensburg, at Karlsruher SC and against Darmstadt 98 would be enough for a jump to the first floor, one victory for safe relegation participation.
However, there is one big unknown: the power reserves. The four catch-up games with stakes every three days have exhausted the team. “We actually expected less force earlier,” said managing director Uwe Stöver. And goal scorer Bartels confessed: “Today we saw that we are slowly running down the last groove.” (dpa)
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