Hamburger SV

Hamburger SV is one of German football's most storied institutions, a club from the Hanseatic port city whose identity is bound up with its status as a founding-era heavyweight of the national game. Historically, Hamburg are best known for their golden age in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when they claimed Bundesliga titles and conquered Europe, and for a long reputation as the Bundesliga's ever-present side, a distinction that made the club a fixture of the top flight for decades. The club's long history and passionate supporter base mean expectations in Hamburg have traditionally been high, even through periods of upheaval.

The current campaign, however, has been a demanding one. Through eight Bundesliga matches, Hamburg hold a record of three wins and five defeats, with no draws at all, a result profile that speaks to a side playing on fine margins. The goal difference of minus 12, built on seven goals scored and 19 conceded, points clearly to defensive vulnerability as the central issue. Conceding an average of nearly two and a half goals per match is a heavy burden, and only one clean sheet so far underlines how rarely the back line has been able to hold firm. At the other end, failing to score in four of eight matches shows the attack has also struggled for consistency.

There are glimmers of resilience in the numbers. The recent form line of LLLWWWLL shows a mid-run surge of three straight victories, proof the side can string results together. Home form has been a relative bright spot, with two wins from three matches at home, compared with just one win from five on the road. Under M. Polzin, Hamburg's challenge is to carry that home solidity into away fixtures while tightening a defence that has leaked goals at a worrying rate.