Overview

• Hamburg are unbeaten in three league matches and climbed to ninth after a 4–0 win over Mainz, their biggest Bundesliga victory in twelve years.
• The coaching staff moved from possession play to a tighter shape with a back three and faster transitions, which players say has made the team harder to break down.
• Late-window recruits Luka Vušković (loan from Tottenham) and Arsenal duo Fábio Vieira and Albert Sambi Lokonga have raised the level, with Lokonga scoring on his first start and Vieira influential before a two-match red-card ban.
• HSV now own the league’s fourth-best defensive record with eight goals conceded, as goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes leads in total saves (28) and ranks second in save percentage (77.1%), including a league-high 14 stops from distance.
• The sturdier approach carries trade-offs, with Hamburg posting the third-most fouls (80) and ranking last for intensive runs and total distance covered.