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Rolf Brack: "We have been working on our defense and counter-attacks"

Balingen were defeated in their last 8 matches against Hamburg, who are on a five game winning streak, scoring at least 33 goals in each

After two wins over Emsdetten and Lübbecke, Balingen lost a tight match at Hannover last week (33-30). They've had eight days for preparation since then. The biggest news at Balingen camo is the announcement that coach Rolf Brack is leaving the team at the end of the season. Brack will take over the Swiss national team. The club has quickly found a replacement in the form of Neuhausen's coach Markus Gaugisch. Gaugisch is Brack's pupil, so the choice seems natural. He did a great job at Neuhausen last season, despite the relegation.

- I am very pleased, maybe we will have the extra push needed to beat Hamburg, which we lacked against Hannover - said sporting director Bernd Karrer after the defeat.

- We weren't able to surprise Löwen and Füchse, so I expect more against HSV. We need a good performance to keep us in the match as long as possible. But still, this is going to be a battle between David and Goliath - coach Brack said.

In the previous season they put up some good fights against stronger opponents, but HSV was not one of them. In the last four years they lost all eight matchups with HSV, and the narrowest defeat was by a margin of four (35-31 in their last game).

- The only way we can parry HSV is if we play strong defense and outrun them on counter-attacks - said the Balingen coach, who revealed that they 'have been focusing on defense and counter-attacks in the recent training sessions'.

In Hannover they were committed to their play style with two pivots and substituting the goalie for a pivot when on offense. This provided them with an extra man in their offensive lineup, but the empty goal was a big risk.

The injury list is much smaller compared to the start of the season. Truth be told, Florian Billek (right winger) was ill during the week, while right-back Kai Häfner couldn't train because of a thigh muscle strain, and Michael Kintrup also suffered from a minor injury. However, Brack said that he expects everyone to be back in rotatiton. Lefty Dragan Tubic is back in training, and we are still expecting his debut this season. This could happen today. He is an important part of Brack's 3-2-1 defense.

HSV haven't featured in Bundesliga in 11 days, ever since the home match against Gummersbach. They did, however, play two Champions League matches; a steamroll over La Rioja in Spain and an even more convincing win against Velenje in Hamburg. Coach Martin Schwalb rested his best players in these matches; Cleverly substituted Bitter on goal, Schöder replaced Lindberg, and there were many rotations on back positions. Team captain Pascal Hens returned to the squad against Velenje and he played most of the second half. Djordjic, Lackovic and Hens were rotating as left-backs. Now that right-back Adrian Pfahl is eligible to play again, HSV are only without Davor Dominikovic and Andreas Nilsson. Djordjic had the flu during the week, but he too has made the trip to Balingen.

- We want to continue with our good form, but we must be cautious since Blingen are a very tough side - said the coach of the reigning European champions.

After a home defeat at the hands of Kiel, HSV are on a five game winning streak (accounting both the Champions League and Bundesliga). They scored at least 33 goals in each of the wins.

- Balingen had a difficult schedule in the beginning, but they have shown that they've got a very dangerous playmaker in the form of Martin Strobel. We must defend tightly and deny him space.

"It's hard to play vs a team that plays the whole team with seven players on the offense and two pivots", said the Hannover captain after their game with Balingen. The Balingen coach Rolf Brack is famous for his tactical solutions, often playing without a goalie, especially in games vs stronger opponents.Before the Balingen-Emsdetten game he stated he will not be playing those options vs a team that is on par with them and where he expects a victory. And so it was. Today we should once again expect a chase and looking for goals with an extra player on the offense, but an offensive defense as well. Hamburg with Duvnjak will not have any problems with that. HSV are on a streak of five games in which they scored 33 or more goals in each. They are incredibly powerful on the offense, especially now that Pfahl has returned, and not the left back Hens is ready to play as well. At the same time, their defense might have some trouble without Dominikovic and Nillson. This was a 35-31 win for HSV last year. Of the strong teams they met this season, Balingen played Hannover for 63, Magdeburg for 69, Füchse for 58 and Löwen for 52 goals, keeping in mind that they played Löwen without several important injured players, who are ready for the game today (Schlinger, Liniger...). I expect this to end with over 60 goals, and it should be covered with an appropriate bet...