Hamburg facing "something between heaven and hell"

By sportswriter Oliver Trust

BERLIN, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Fans of the Bundesliga dinosaur Hamburger SV are preparing for a weekend full of tears. The club from the northern German port is likely to be relegated for the first time since the league was founded in 1963.

"It's something between heaven and hell. It's a merciless battle of nerves," said Hamburg coach Christian Titz when previewing the last game of the season on Saturday against Borussia Monchengladbach.

Supporters, assistant coaches and club leaders will be anxiously listening to the radio waiting for news from the other football battlegrounds as not only Hamburg are under threat of losing its pride.

SC Freiburg and VfL Wolfsburg are also in danger of getting into serious trouble if results do not go their way.

At the top of the table, Borussia Dortmund (55 points/plus 19 goals), TSG Hoffenheim (52/16) and Bayer Leverkusen (52/13) are in the running for the millions of euro shelled out by UEFA for Champions League participants. RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt are hoping to secure a Euro League place.

But the biggest threat to people's health is what is going on in the league's drop zone.

Cologne will finish the 2017/2018 season at the bottom of the table (currently 22 points) and are already certain to go down even before the 34th and final match.

Battling to avoid the direct drop with Cologne are SC Freiburg (33 points/minus 26 goals) in 15th, VfL Wolfsburg (30/15) in 16th and 17th placed Hamburger SV (28/25). A possible escape route would be to come 16th and play a two-legged relegation play-off against the third-placed team in the second division, Holstein Kiel. Finishing 15th would guarantee safety.

Freiburg have best chances as they have a home game against FC Augsburg. One point is enough to secure another season in the Bundesliga for coach Christian Streich's team. The worst-case scenario for Freiburg would be to lose to Augsburg whilst Wolfsburg at the same time beat Cologne to leave them in the play-offs. They can't be relegated directly anymore.

At first glance, it looks like an easy job for Wolfsburg in the encounter against Cologne at home, but the team of troubled club owner, car manufacturer Volkswagen, seems to have lost faith and confidence.

Sporting director Olaf Rebbe got the sack two weeks ago just a day in advance of an important league game. Former Hamburg coach Labbadia (replacing Swiss Martin Schmidt, who resigned on February 19) has only won one of ten games but can count on play-off experience. The 51-year-old survived the relegation games with Hamburg in 2015 when his team scored the winning goal in the dying seconds.

"Having to go through relegation play-offs is something you will hate. It takes control of your entire life, the whole week in advance, every day, every hour, minute and second," Labbadia commented.

Hamburg have the worst hand of cards and have to hope Wolfsburg lose. "The most important thing is to take this last game as a chance and do your homework right" as HSV coach Titz emphasized before adding that "to go down is just not our way."

Titz's advice is as convincing as simple -- playing the battle to avoid the drop like a tournament. "After the semifinal, we now face our final. It's better to do it with our nerves under control," Titz underlined. Meanwhile, Hamburg's fans are hoping it will not be the dinosaur's last tango in the first division after 55 years. Enditem