Newly-promoted Hamburg travel to Bayern Munich on Saturday as the Bundesliga sees the return of one of its most storied clashes — seven years on from the last ‘North-South Summit’.
The last meeting between the two in March 2018 was a testament to the vastly diverging paths of the northerners and the southern giant as Bayern rampaged to a 6-0 win at its Allianz Arena home ground.
That year, Hamburg fell out of the top flight for the first time in its history, only to return this campaign following a seven-season stretch in the second division — a situation that belied its status as one of German football’s traditional powerhouses.
Hamburg is the only German side other than Bayern and Borussia Dortmund to have won the European Cup.
And only Dortmund, Schalke, Nuremberg, and Bayern have won more than their six German league titles.
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One of Germany’s best-supported clubs, located in a wealthy region of the country and with a nearly 60,000-capacity ground, Hamburg has all the ingredients to be one of the Bundesliga’s big guns.
Hamburg’s great rival of the 1980s, Bayern, meanwhile, has won 12 of the past 13 Bundesliga titles.
The recent record between the pair also demonstrates just how wide the gap has become.
Hamburg has not beaten Bayern since 2009. Since that victory, Bayern has won 16 times, with three draws. Bayern has scored 71 goals in those games, conceding just seven — a run which includes two 8-0 victories and a 9-2 demolition.
Hamburg coach Merlin Polzin, a lifelong fan of the club who oversaw their promotion last season, said Thursday his team “doesn’t want to dwell on old stories — we’re happy to reshape history”.
“We have conviction and belief in our capabilities. We want to bring our game to the pitch, even though it’s against a very, very strong opponent, said the 34-year-old.
“It’s a very special game for us against the best team in Germany and one of the best in Europe.”
Hamburg is still looking for a first goal since returning to the top flight, drawing 0-0 away to Borussia Moenchengladbach and going down 2-0 at home to city rivals St Pauli prior to the international break.
Like Bayern, which has signed Harry Kane, Luis Diaz, Nicolas Jackson, and Michael Olise from England in recent seasons, Hamburg’s recruitment this summer has taken on a Premier League flavour.
On deadline day, they brought in Arsenal duo Fabio Vieira and Albert Sambi Lokonga to add more quality in midfield.
“Everyone knows how strong Bayern is,” Vieira told Bild. “I’m looking forward to it. We’ll fight and we want to take something from there.”
Published on Sep 12, 2025