1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites

Pep: "Dangerous Match"

September 20, 2014

As Hamburg stumble from one crisis to the other, it's up to their new, 44-year-old rookie trainer to inspire the basement boys. The problem, however, is that they face champions Bayern Munich.

https://p.dw.com/p/1DFwe
Fußball Champions League Gruppe E FC Bayern München Manchester City Pep Guardiola
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Sven Hoppe

Hamburg have turned over a new page. New coach Josef Zinnbauer - the club's ninth coach in four years - takes charge of the famous German side for the first time since replacing Mirko Slomka who was sacked on Monday.

Zinnbauer had led the Hamburg under-23 side to eight straight wins at the start of this season and has previous experience at Karlsruhe. It's his first taste of top-flight action as a head coach - and he faces a stiff challenge to lift Hamburg off the bottom of the table.

"I haven't seen him yet. But I'm aware that he coached at Karlsruhe and has been winning with the HSV second team this season," Bayern coach Pep Guardiola admitted. "With a new coach, the players always want to do particularly well. They are an aggressive team, and these are very dangerous games."

"We are very well prepared," Bayern captain Philipp Lahm added. "The next few weeks will be really important for us."

But unlike rivals Borussia Dortmund, Hamburg's Imtech Arena has been a happy hunting ground for Bayern Munich.

HSV have been on the end of some heavy defeats to the German champions of late, conceding 31 goals in their last seven matches, home and away, against the Bavarians. Their last win against Bayern came back in 2009 on home turf.

Return of Robben

After a fortnight-long injury absence, Dutch winger Arjen Robben has recovered in time to be in contention for the starting eleven at the Imtech Arena.

The 30-year-old was left out of Bayern's win over Stuttgart and featured in the last 15 minutes against Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday. "He has trained well," Guardiola confirmed.

Asked whether Robben's return could prompt a change in formation, the Spaniard replied: "The system is not important. It's always about the same ideas, to dominate the match and that won't change."

Franck Ribery, Thiago Alcantara, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Javi Martinez and Holger Badstuber are all on the Bayern injury list.

Elsewhere on the fourth weekend, Schalke aim to turn around a dismal start to the season at home to Frankfurt, Augsburg host Bremen, Stuttgart welcome Hoffenheim and quick-starters SC Paderborn and Hannover clash.

Then, Borussia Dortmund head to Mainz on the early evening match, while on Sunday, there are two matches: Wolfsburg at home to Bayer Leverkusen and the Rhine derby between Köln and Gladbach.

rd/jh (SID, dpa)