Overview
- HSV has begun the season poorly with heavy defeats, including a 0:5 loss at RB Leipzig and a home game against Mainz 05 that coach Merlin Polzin called "desaströs."
- Polzin said he is "completely dissatisfied" with the size of recent losses and singled out preventable conceded goals as unacceptable.
- The coach told reporters he will not change the club's tactical concept and stressed that clarity in actions must improve.
- Sky-reported information indicates Polzin's contract has been extended to 2029, which signals short-term tolerance from the club's hierarchy for continuity rather than an immediate coaching change.
- HSV will host 1. FC Köln at the Volksparkstadion with kickoff at 15:30 and a Sky broadcast, a match Polzin described as high intensity and an immediate barometer of whether determination and squad unity can stop the slump.