Hamburger SV’s uphill battle in relegation clash with VfB Stuttgart

The Hamburger SV has on Monday evening (kick-off 8:45 p.m.) in the relegation VfB Stuttgart to guest. After the 3-0 defeat in Stuttgart, the Hanseatic League are going into the second leg with a big mortgage and need a little football miracle to make it up the ladder. Tim Walter & Co. are still combative.

On Thursday evening, HSV lost out very early in the Mercedes-Benz Arena and had to concede a goal in the first minute of the game. In the end, the Hanseatic League was still well served with the 0:3 bankruptcy. “If our players don’t get their 100 percent, we as a team have little to complain about against another team that is well equipped individually and also from the bank,” explained Walter at the press conference on Sunday morning. That was the case that day. We have to try to do better on Monday.”

In the second leg “we start at minus three, but we try to work our way forward little by little,” said the trainer. The goal is to score a goal first. “And then the North, the South, the West and the East will go along,” Walter said. “If we all – and by that I mean all – pull together in blue and on the pitch, then we have a chance. Anything is possible in football,” stressed the HSV coach.

“In the past we’ve often shown that we can get back on our feet,” said captain Sebastian Schonlau pugnaciously after the first leg. “We have to keep believing in ourselves, we’ll give our all and give our all in front of our fans. And then we’ll see.” Goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes made it clear that giving up was not an option.

On Monday evening, Walter will be without András Nemeth (broken ankle), Noah Katterbach (torn cruciate ligament), Laszlo Benes (torn thigh muscle), Mario Vuskovic (doping ban) and Anssi Suhonen, who was red-carded in the first leg after coming on as a substitute and was sent off by the DFB was suspended for two games. There is also a question mark over Jonas David, who “is ailing”, the trainer stated.

Despite the disappointing performance in the first leg, it is quite conceivable that Walter will leave his starting XI unchanged. Should David fail, Javi Montero could move into the starting line-up and form central defense with captain Schonlau. Alternatively, Moritz Heyer moves into the center from right-back and William Mikelbrencis takes over the right-back position. The other side is reserved for Miro Muheim. As usual, Heuer Fernandes is between the posts.

Jonas Meffert is scheduled to clear the back four. Sonny Kittel and Ludovit Reis should start again in front of the 28-year-old. If the occupation of the offensive flanks remains unchanged, Bakery Jatta and Jean-Luc Dompé will start. Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer is the name of the alternative. Robert Glatzel starts in the center of attack.

Heuer Fernandes – Heyer, David, Schonlau, Muheim – Meffert – Reis, Kittel – Jatta, Glatzel, Dompé