Status: 05.09.2024 11:45 a.m.
After the licensing hassle and the personnel reshuffle, things have calmed down at the handball Bundesliga club HSV Hamburg. In the new Bundesliga season, sporting stories are to be written again on the Elbe, and the Hanseatic city’s goal is to avoid relegation early.
For goalkeeper and new vice president Johannes Bitter, the goals for the 2024/2025 season are clear: “We have to remain humble, we only have certain options in the budget. That’s why we know exactly that we have to say goodbye to the bottom as quickly as possible.”
The mission to avoid relegation starts for the northern Germans on Friday evening at 7 p.m. with the first game of the season at Frisch Auf Göppingen. The northern Germans have good memories of the Baden-Württemberg team: in the past two seasons they have had three wins and one draw against FA.
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Injury concerns among new players
A lot has changed in the HSVH squad compared to last season. Mohamed El-Tayar came to the Elbe from relegated HBW Balingen-Weilstetten and is set to form the goalkeeping trio with Bitter and Robin Haug following Jens Vortmann’s retirement. However, El-Tayar and Haug are currently injured, so Bitter is largely on its own in the first phase of the season. Young keeper Finn Knaack will be in the squad for the first time as backup for Bitter against Göppingen.
Playmaker Dani Baijens left the northern Germans for France in the summer and now earns his money at Paris St. Germain. As his successor, Hamburg brought in U21 world champion Moritz Sauter, who joined the team from Füchse Berlin. Another signing for the future is Ben Levermann. The 18-year-old comes from THW Kiel and is expected to gain his first experience in the professional business in the backcourt.
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Captain Weller: “Newcomers well integrated”
“All of the new arrivals have integrated well. It’s a shame that our two goalkeepers aren’t fully involved yet,” said captain Niklas Weller. “The full integration of all of the new arrivals will come when we all train together, play our first games and have our first shared experiences on the field. The emotional outbursts in particular – that really brings us together.”
The North Germans will still have to do without backcourt player Tomislav Severec for the season opener, who is out with a torn Achilles tendon. On the other hand, pivot Andreas Magaard is fit again after recovering from a meniscus and cruciate ligament injury, as is backcourt player Dominik Axmann, who has recovered from his cruciate ligament tear from last season.
Successful preparation and good test matches
Coach Torsten Jansen’s team prepared for the new season on Fuerteventura. The HSVH then secured victory at the Heide Cup in Schneverdingen, with league rivals VfL Gummersbach as their final opponent. They also managed to win against their northern rivals TSV Hannover-Burgdorf in a test match. They only lost the last test match against record champions THW Kiel. They will meet the “Zebras” again early in the second round of the DHB Cup.
Before that, however, the league begins. After the opening match at Göppingen, the Hamburg team will host defending champions SC Magdeburg in their first home game on September 15, after which they will travel to newly promoted 1. VfL Potsdam. It’s not an easy opening match, but it’s a doable one for the HSVH, who want to lay the foundation for early relegation in these matches.
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Second division team VfL Lübeck-Schwartau will face Hannover-Burgdorf, while third division team HC Empor Rostock will host Nordhorn-Lingen. more
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The SG starts the new season on Friday against Erlangen – and wants to attack at the top. The title race in the Handball Bundesliga is likely to be tight. more
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Sports news | 05.09.2024 | 11:17 a.m.
