“For moments like today: That’s exactly why you play football,” said Poulsen. “The games in which it’s about a little more than three points. That are emotionally at the highest level. Where the stadium boils for 90 minutes. Where the fans accompany you to the stadium: that’s what you always hope to experience as a footballer.” Coach Merlin Polzin also praised Poulsen: “In many moments in the dressing room, in individual conversations and in group discussions, he played a part in why we are doing so well today with 15 points.”
Saturday, December 6, 2025
Strenuous days for HSV: After the home games against VfB Stuttgart (2:1) and Holstein Kiel (3:5 n.E.), Werder Bremen now awaits Hamburg in the Volkspark. Coach Merlin Polzin doesn’t use the long cup evening with the bitter defeat as an excuse. At the press conference he said: “When one of the most traditional duels in the history of the Bundesliga is coming up with the northern derby, then you cannot allow yourself to be tired in any way, both mentally and physically.”
Polzin also explained: “We are fresh, we are hot and are looking forward to what is to come.” According to the HSV coach, there are not many duels in Germany “that are similarly electrifying”.
The northern derby is back: Eight years after the last first division duel, HSV and Werder Bremen will meet again in the Bundesliga on December 7th. Some of the 157 derbies so far have made history: there have been preliminary decisions for the championship, exciting duels in the relegation battle and legendary moments in the European Cup. Here t-online remembers defining moments in HSV history in the northern derby.