'A special match': HSV's French connection fired up for Lyon! | OneFootball

A total of four French players are currently under contract with HSV. Against Olympique Lyon, they will face numerous compatriots.

As part of the Volkspark Festival 2025, Hamburger SV faces its next challenge of summer preparation. With Olympique Lyon visiting on Saturday (3:00 p.m., live on DAZN), a true heavyweight of French football comes to the Hanseatic city. After defeats against Copenhagen (0:1) and Graz (1:2), the duel against Lyon marks the third tough test within just two weeks.

“In the Bundesliga, 100 percent concentration and commitment are required,” emphasized sporting director Stefan Kuntz recently. “That’s why we deliberately chose strong opponents.” This ambition is also reflected in the match format: Head coach Merlin Polzin and his team want to gather important insights for the upcoming Bundesliga season over a full 120 minutes.

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“We have deliberately increased the workload during the week. It will be very intense and tough for the boys,” explains Polzin. The goal is to make the content of the first weeks of training visible in the game: “Position-specific and as a team, with intensity and tactical clarity.”

The match holds special appeal for the French quartet in the HSV squad: Jean-Luc Dompé, William Mikelbrencis, Aboubaka Soumahoro, and new signing Rayan Philippe all hail from Germany’s western neighbor. Newcomer Philippe dubbed this group of players the “French Connection” after his signing.

This also includes parts of the coaching staff: Polzin’s assistant Loic Fave and performance manager Basil More-Chevalier come from France. The latter even spent three years in the youth ranks of the current opponent from Lyon before Fave brought him to HSV.

Polzin approaches this opponent with the utmost respect. “Olympique Lyon is at a similar stage of preparation as we are. We are facing an absolute top team from France,” says the 34-year-old with anticipation.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.