Schalke 04 vs Hamburg - Hamburg coach urges players to loosen up as crucial clash looms - 7M sport

Schalke 04 vs Hamburg - Hamburg coach urges players to loosen up as crucial clash looms



Posted Friday, May 12, 2017 by PA

Hamburg boss Markus Gisdol has urged his players to shrug off the extreme pressures of the relegation battle and play with freedom when they travel to Gelsenkirchen to face Schalke on Saturday.

The visitors head to the Veltins-Arena with the threat of a first ever relegation from the Bundesliga looming large.

They head into the final two games of the season in the relegation play-off spot, third from bottom of the table.

All is far from lost, with Mainz above them only on goal difference and Wolfsburg and Augsburg only two points better off.

The worry for Hamburg, though, is that they have the worst recent form of the sides around them, even including 17th-placed Ingolstadt, who are four points behind them.

They managed only a limp goalless home draw with Mainz last time out, while their previous two games ended in a 4-0 loss at Augsburg and a 2-1 defeat to bottom side Darmstadt, who have already been relegated.

And with another direct rival in Wolfsburg to come on the final day of the season, Hamburg are in real danger of the drop.

Gisdol, who replaced Bruno Labbadia in September, told a press conference: "The last two games are always special, especially when there is something riding on them.

"This applies to the teams who are in front and are looking forward to enjoyable things, or to the teams who are at the bottom and are still fighting for survival, like us.

"These are special moments when everyone plays at the same time.

"Players are also human beings, people shouldn't forget that. You have to find out how you can transmit a sort of looseness to the boys.

"Joy, confidence and courage are things that are missing if the pressure weighs too heavily on your shoulders.

"At the end of the day it is still sport, the most beautiful thing in the world. The right perspective sometimes helps."

Hamburg will be without Mergim Mavraj, who has been struggling with flu.

Schalke, regular European qualifiers, have had a poor campaign by their standards and lie 10th in the table.

Safe from relegation and all but mathematically out of European contention, the hosts have little left to play for, but coach Markus Weinzierl has demanded a good display in their final home game of the season, especially after a 2-0 loss at Freiburg last time out.

"We want to put in a significantly better performance against Hamburg and keep the three points here at Schalke," he said.

"We want to make our last game of the season at the Veltins-Arena something memorable."



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