Baumgarten's first HSV match leads him straight to his old love.
It's a top-flight classic - only now the duel between 1. FC Cologne and Hamburger SV is taking place in the 2nd Bundesliga. The thriller kicks off the season and coach Steffen Baumgart in his new outfit.
Former champions, promotion favorites - and Steffen Baumgart: The thriller between 1. FC Cologne and Hamburger SV, exactly 50 years after their founding, is causing a tense start to the 2nd Bundesliga season. The protagonist is well aware of this. "That this constellation makes the first matchday something special is beyond question," said HSV coach Baumgart.
226 days after his last appearance as Effzeh coach, the 52-year-old returns to the cathedral city (8:30 PM/Sat. 1, Sky and in the ntv.de live ticker). "No surprise" was the scheduling for him, explained Baumgart, who took over the trainer position at the Hanseatics in February. He made it clear how beautiful the time from 2021 to 2023 in Cologne was - "but that's it. As they say, only the HSV!"
However, the former "Bundesliga dinosaur" is suddenly a "2nd Bundesliga dinosaur". No team has been a fixture in the lower house longer (since 2018). Nevertheless, the self-image of the Hamburgers remains the same even in the seventh consecutive season. "We want to promote," emphasized Baumgart.
"Don't build castles in the air"
The 1. FC Cologne's relegation still hurts: "It will hurt until we've fixed it," said managing director Christian Keller in the Sky talk. The new coach Gerhard Struber, who replaced the unlucky Timo Schultz, is the architect of the correction, and he has almost the same team at his disposal. Since the transfer ban is still in effect until winter, there have been no external new additions. Therefore, it is all the more important for Keller that the players show their "true face" again under the new captain Timo Hübers.
And that's what the fans want to see. According to license area leader Thomas Kessler, the FC could have "probably sold 100,000 tickets for the opening match". The loyal supporters dream of the promotion - Keller remains diplomatic: "We must not build castles in the air. But that doesn't mean we don't have ambitions."
The relegated team underlined this with offensive appearances in the preparation. Struber already demands "stamina" in the promotion race, but for his debut he has to do without Florian Kainz and Max Finkgrafe due to injury. It hits HSV harder: Top striker Robert Glatzel is missing, Davie Selke will only come on as a substitute at best against his former club. But Baumgart made it clear that he has "enough players who can score goals. We have a new start on Friday" - in the old home.
- Regarding the upcoming match, Coach Baumgart acknowledged, "The main objectives of this programme for us are clear: we aim to promote back to the Bundesliga."
- In light of the absence of key players, Baumgart remained optimistic, stating, "Despite the injuries, we have a strong team with several players capable of scoring goals. We're looking forward to our new start on Friday."
