Werder’s 22nd game of the Bundesliga season comes away to Hertha Berlin this Saturday (18:30 CET). The Green-Whites will want to pick up another three points in order to continue their climb up the table towards the European places.
Werder’s 22nd game of the Bundesliga season comes away to Hertha Berlin this Saturday (18:30 CET). The Green-Whites will want to pick up another three points in order to continue their climb up the table towards the European places.
Previous meetings: Werder came out on top when the two sides last met in the Weserstadion. The home side went ahead through Martin Harnik in the 11th minute of the game before Milos Veljkovic made it 2-0 with a header shortly before half time. Javairo Dilrosun pulled one back for Hertha in the second half, but a Max Kruse penalty reestablished Werder’s two goal lead, meaning the game ended 3-1.
The boss on the game: Pal Dardai’s Hertha Berlin side are also competing for the European places in the Bundesliga. In recent years, they have “developed an enormous amount tactically and have a lot of different starting formations at their disposal,” said Florian Kohfeldt. “They play with a lot of men in the middle and they’re not afraid to challenge for the second ball. Long balls are also one of their threats. They have a lot of variation on the wings too, with very offensive full-backs,” he added. Werder must “stay very compact in the middle and we can’t ignore the wings. They’ll have a lot of quality there,” said Kohfeldt.
Squad news: Florian Kohfeldt again has a big squad at his disposal. Milot Rashica has been back in full training after coming off in the first half against Augsburg last weekend. Yuya Osako is back in training following his return from the Asian Cup, but is unlikely to play in the game.
Suspensions: Five players are on four yellow cards ahead of the game: Vedad Ibisevic, Davie Selke, and Ondrej Duda for Hertha, with Nuri Sahin and Milos Veljkovic close to suspension for Werder.
The opponents: Hertha Berlin are a direct competitor for the Europa League spots. Only one point seperates the two sides going into the game, meaning Werder could leapfrog Hertha with victory. However, the home side showed their quality in their last game away in Borussia Mönchengladbach, coming away with a three-goal victory. They also put in a respectable performance against FC Bayern in the DFB-Pokal, narrowly losing 3-2 after extra time. However, Hertha are still winless at home in 2019.
Key players: Davie Selke is a man in form for Hertha at the moment. He’s scored one goal and got four assists so far this year, helping to push his side towards the European places. He also celebrated his 100th Bundesliga game with a goal against Gladbach. Selke used to play for Werder, getting his Bundesliga debut in the 2014/15 season before heading to RB Leipzig. Selke is forcing his way into Dardai’s plans in his second season in Berlin and is playing a key role.
The officials: The referee is Sören Storks. Thorben Siewer and Markus Schüller are the linesmen, with Jan Neitzel-Pertersen the fourth official. The video assistants are Dr. Robert Kampka and Pascal Müller.
