Our next opponents: A youngster inspires as defender and goalscorer at HSV

Position

Despite taking a 1-0 lead, Hamburg lost 2-1 at SC Freiburg last Saturday leaving the promoted team as the only Bundesliga club yet to win a single away game this term. The Hanseatic side showed little presence and intensity in the first half in Freiburg. "We didn't get into the game at all, weren't good in our positioning, didn't trigger the pressing moments," criticised HSV coach Merlin Polzin. Centre-back Luka Vuskovic gave Hamburg the lead with a header from a corner at the start of the second half. However, the lead did not last long. Just three minutes later, referee Timo Gerach awarded a penalty to the hosts after contact between Hamburg's Daniel Elfadli and Freiburg's Lucas Höler and also showed Elfadli, who had already been cautioned, a red card. That was the turning point of the game. Vincenzo Grifo converted the spot-kick to level at 1-1, and HSV were a man down as they conceded a second goal at 2-1 in the next controversial incident. Matanovic's goal was preceded by an aerial duel between Johan Manzambi and Hamburg's Jordan Torunarigha, which HSV coach Polzin saw as a foul: "For me it's a clearly wrong decision and difficult to accept, the opponent's elbow is in our player's face and has no right to be there. Nevertheless, we'll take it as it is."

After their eighth defeat in 16 matches, Hamburg remain in 13th place on 16 points, four ahead of the play-off spot currently occupied by city rivals FC St. Pauli. However, FCSP have played one game less.

HSV have only won two of their last nine matches (2-1 against VfB Stuttgart and 3-2 against Werder Bremen), drawn 1-1 twice against Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt and lost five times, including in the DFB Pokal Round of 16 at home to Bundesliga 2 side Holstein Kiel (4-2 on penalties).

Personnel

Just three days after signing from English Championship club Southampton, new signing Damion Downs made his starting XI debut for Hamburg. The former FC Köln player started up front in the 2-1 defeat at Freiburg due to the absence of players. Captain Yussuf Poulsen was sidelined with to a syndesmosis injury, Fábio Baldé and Rayan Philippe had to miss out due to illness and Robert Glatzel is still recovering from a torn muscle. The Hamburg club signed 21-year-old Downs on loan. "Damion is a direct centre-forward who has a good combination of stature, pace and penetration," said HSV sporting director Claus Costa about the Bavarian-born player. "With his strengths in transitional play and his box-to-box presence, he fits in very well with the requirements profile we have developed in close consultation with the coaching team."

It is quite possible that Polzin will now have more options in attack for the game against Bayer 04. Philippe and Baldé could return to the squad after recovering from their colds. It is doubtful whether Robert Glatzel and Yussuf Poulsen will be ready for Tuesday. As far as the defence is concerned, centre-back Warmed Omari is still in rehab training and Daniel Elfadli is suspended due to his red card in the Freiburg game. Aboubaka Soumahoro, who is on the mend after a slight knee problem, may be available again.

In midfield, summer signings Albert Sambi Lokonga, Fabio Vieira (both from Arsenal), Nicolai Remberg (Holstein Kiel) and Nicolas Capaldo (Red Bull Salzburg) have immediately become key players. The Argentinian Capaldo can also play in the back three, as he did recently in Freiburg. In Luka Vuskovic, another new player has immediately taken on a leading role. The Croatian, who is on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, is only 18 years old.

Goalkeeper Daniel Peretz and midfielder Jonas Meffert left Hamburg at the start of the year. On loan from Bayern Munich, the Israel keeper Peretz was unable to assert himself against number one Daniel Heuer Fernandes in the Hanseatic city and has now moved on to Southampton. Meffert returned to Bundesliga 2 club Holstein Kiel after four and a half years at HSV.

Problems

At no other club is the discrepancy between home and away results as great as at HSV. While the Red Shorts are in seventh place in the home table with 14 points, they are bottom of the away table with two points. HSV did manage to draw 0-0 at both Borussia Mönchengladbach and Union Berlin. HSV have suffered six defeats, some of them significant. Only Eintracht Frankfurt (21) have conceded more goals away from home than the Hanseatic side (18). And no team has scored fewer goals on the road than Polzin's team, having only scored four times away from home.

Last weekend, HSV also set a negative record in the 2-1 defeat at Freiburg: Daniel Elfadli's red card was the sixth sending-off (five for two yellow card offences, one straight red) in the current season - only once in HSV's Bundesliga history have there been as many. In the 1994/95 season, Hamburg only reached that number after 34 matchdays. In addition to the numerous injury-related absences in recent weeks, the suspensions also meant that Merlin Polzin had to make frequent changes to his line-up.

Performers

Hamburg can be very satisfied with the transfer policy for the current season. Almost all of the new signings have hit the ground running. The two forwards Lokonga and Philippe are the team's top scorers with four goals each. Vieira is the best provider with three assists. Yussuf Poulsen, the leader from Leipzig, brings a wealth of experience and was immediately named captain. In midfield, Nicolai Remberg and Nicolas Capaldo are permanent fixtures.

Hamburg's shooting star, however, is undoubtedly centre-back Luka Vuskovic. The 18-year-old is having a tremendous season. Since moving on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, the Croat has always gone the full distance in his 16 matches for HSV playing in the centre of a back three. Vuskovic has won an impressive 70 per cent of his duels, and 81 per cent of aerial challenges - top numbers in the Bundesliga. He has also intercepted the second highest number of passes in the league. Vuskovic not only shines with his ability to tackle and astonishing composure, he has also scored three times. The 1.92-metre defender scored a wonder goal with a volley in the 3-2 win against Werder Bremen, which was recently voted Goal of the Month for December - just ahead of Freiburg's Lucas Höler and Werkself player Martin Terrier, who also scored a brilliant goal with a back-heel against FC Köln.