"I believe 100 per cent in our survival" - Hamburg talisman Lewis Holtby
Lewis Holtby says he will fight until the bitter end to keep Hamburg from being relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time in their history.
After scoring the winning goal against Freiburg last week, the HSV midfielder was on target again as the Dinos swept to a 3-1 victory at Wolfsburg on Matchday 32. They are now just two points off the relegation play-off spot with two rounds of fixtures remaining.
Watch: Lewis Holtby is happy with Hamburg's recent performances
"My belief is very high," Holtby told bundesliga.com. "I know that we are going to be successful. That's the modern way of football and it's terrific. I like what I see out there. It's the first time in four years in Hamburg that we are playing football, and playing football the right way."
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Holtby has every reason to be optimistic. The 27-year-old has been in flying form since being reinstated to the starting XI by head coach Christian Titz on Matchday 27, scoring in the 1-1 draw with Stuttgart, the 3-2 win over Schalke, the relegation six-pointer with Freiburg and now Saturday's vital win over Wolfsburg.
"I believe 100 per cent in our survival," he added. "We want to get over the line. Everyone is doing exactly what the coach asks and we're starting to reap the benefits. The fans are also behind us as we head into next week's 'semi-final' against Frankfurt."
To put the former Tottenham Hotspur man's influence into context, the Red Shorts won two of the 13 games he missed through injury between mid-November and mid-March (D4, L7), but have lost just two of the last six he has started (W3, D1).
Hamburg, the only founding Bundesliga member never to have been relegated, face Eintracht Frankfurt (A) and Borussia Mönchengladbach (H) in their final two games of the season.