Hamburger SV finished 13th in the 2025 Bundesliga season with 38 points, a goal difference of -14 and a 9-11-14 record. They survived by nine points, but the 2026/27 job is less about repeating that and more about getting a rebuilt squad to settle quickly. The opening run does not offer much breathing room: Borussia Dortmund away, then Mainz at home, then RB Leipzig away.
Polzin's rebuild and the opening run
Only seven players remain from the promotion-winning squad, so this is already a different team in practical terms. Merlin Polzin has spent the summer pushing intensity, pressing and transitional play, with high-tempo drills and patterns of transition across the whole pitch during training camps. That approach fits a side that wants to look livelier than last season, but the real test comes in the first three league fixtures.
A squad can talk about change all summer. It has to show it against Dortmund first.
New attackers to watch
Patson Daka is one of the new names carrying real interest. The 27-year-old Zambia international arrived from Leicester City and is described as a speedster who thrives on exploiting space, making runs in behind and stretching defences. That gives Hamburg a different striker option, and it should help them play with more directness when they win the ball high or break into space.
Albert Grønbæk also gave them a clean early reminder of what he can do. He netted a brace in Hamburg's 3-0 DFB Cup first-round win away at Verl, a tidy start for a player expected to carry more attacking weight. If those two settle quickly, Hamburg look less like a survival side from last spring and more like a team with enough threat to climb, but the first real measure is still the league run that starts in Dortmund.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
