Bring on Bremen, Act III

By: Chris | November 23rd, 2008

This is the third installment of this drama since the inception of the Hamburg Offside. And HSV haven’t won yet.

Yep, in fact it’s been four plus (!) years of futility for HSV against their heated rivals in Hamburg (previous match previews here and here; previous match recap here, for your amusement). You read that right–Bremen have come in and earned a result in every match in Hamburg since a 1:0 victory on 2 February 2003. The winning goal scorer–Sergei Barbarez. To put that into perspective, Gerhard Schröder was still Chancellor . . .

Bremen come into Sunday’s match ninth in the Bundesliga table on 20 points. As is often the case, they have been blistering at times on offense and so-so on defense, having scored a whopping 31 goals in 13 matches, having conceded 24. Bremen have 3 wins, 2 draws and a single defeat in their last six matches, suggesting that they may have turned the corner in their Bundesliga season and are ready to make a run for the top of the table. Their biggest victory so far has to be the 2:5 drubbing beat down of Bayern Munich on 20 September, a scoreline which frankly still shocks me 2 months later. The visitors will be without the services of Mesut Ozil (suspended); Daniel Jensen and Martin Harnik are out with injuries.

Hamburg have been 2 different clubs this campaign boasting a robust 5-1-0 at home this season, with only a 1:1 draw with Schalke staining their record, scoring 11 and conceding a paltry 5. The other club (of the 2 different clubs reference)? Well, they have, ahem, struggled away from home, with 2 victories against 4 defeats, having scored a meager seven goals, while conceding 14(!). BUT, since this is a home match, we need to accentuate the positive.

NIgel de Jong is out (and will remain shut down for the remainder of 2008 while his injured knee heals), as is Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (knee surgery) and Thimothee Atouba (achilles tendon rupture). Captain David Jarolim is suspended for Sunday’s match, having “earned” his fifth yellow card of the season on Saturday’s trip to Berlin–Joris Mathijsen wears the armband for the first time versus Bremen.

Probable lineup for HSV:

Rost

Demel Reinhardt Mathijsen Jansen

Boateng Alex Silva

Trochowski Guerrero Olic

Petric

Quick notes:

•Alex Silva will draw the assignment of marking compatriot (and flopper-meister) Diego, a job has had many times while training with Brazil. He will not, however, be swapping jersey’s with Diego following the match–that honor is reserved for Naldo, a close friend of Silva’s from waaaaaay back.

•Tim Wiese and Ivica Olic have buried the hatchet (and no, not in Olic’s head).

•This is the most expensive match in HSV history, in terms of ticket prices, and the side want the supporters to get their money’s worth. Same story quotes sporting director Didi Beiersdorfer as saying this is not a season-making (or breaking) match, but a loss sends you midtable (maybe for the remainder of the season) while a victory puts you back in touch with the leaders. Can’t argue with that . . .

•History notwithstanding, Mladen Petric IS CONVINCED Hamburg will win out this time.

So . . . I think that HSV showed some improvement in the Hertha match, and are playing with better balance (between offense and defense). Their record at home speaks for itself and that alone would normally make this one pretty easy to call. BUT, this is the derby with the most bitter rivals–a rival side that has not lost on HSV’s home pitch in 4+ years. SWAG Prediction: Lots of offense, a breakneck pace at times, and a helluva ballgame to watch for the supporters of both sides. Bottom line: 2:2. Screw it–make it 3:2 for Die Rothosen.