Promoted Hamburg brace for tough return to Bayern Munich
MUNICH: Once a Bundesliga highlight, Bayern Munich’s first home game against promoted Hamburg SV in seven years lacks the top billing of the past but still holds promise for lots of goals — at least for the home side. Long before the six-time German champions were relegated to the second division for the first time in their history in 2018, Hamburg had become Bayern’s punching bag in Munich, conceding a total of 50 goals in their last eight trips to Allianz Arena. The wave of exhilaration that accompanied Hamburg’s return to the top division has subsided after two Bundesliga games, with the former European champions drawing one and losing the other. They have yet to score or create a single scoring chance in either of the two matches so far, according to Bundesliga statistics. Losing the Hamburg derby to visitors St. Pauli just before the international break dampened spirits further but despite their rough return to the Bundesliga, coach Merlin Polzin said his team were looking forward to Saturday. “We’re incredibly excited about this match,” he added.
