Darmstadt (dpa/lhe) – Table leaders SV Darmstadt 98 remain positive before the top game in the 2nd Bundesliga against Hamburger SV despite a long list of injuries. “The injuries are part of our story this season, but we’re still not moping about it,” said coach Torsten Lieberknecht on Friday. In the game on Saturday (8:30 p.m. / Sky and Sport1), six “lily” players will be out in Tobias Kempe, Jannik Müller, Patric Pfeiffer, Aaron Seydel, Klaus Gjasula and Braydon Manu.
But there is also positive news. Defender Matthias Bader, who was kicked in the abdomen in the game against Regensburg at the end of January and required an operation, could return to the squad. Lieberknecht, meanwhile, has a clear match plan against the second-placed team from the North: “We want to do what we’ve always done before. Pay respect to the opponent and show that respect with our own focused performance,” explained the 49-year-old.
Before the duel with HSV, his team has four points more than their rivals and is unbeaten in 20 games. To keep it that way, Lieberknecht at the Böllenfalltor is counting on additional tailwind from the fans. “We will be driven by our cauldron. The stadium will tremble,” he said, looking forward to the floodlit game.
