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Hertha BSC – VfB Stuttgart
The Bundesliga is now entering the all-important phase. Only four match days are left on the schedule. This weekend, the 31st matchday will already take place. Probably the most exciting duel in the relegation battle will take place on Saturday afternoon at Berlin’s Olympiastadion. Hertha will then welcome VfB Stuttgart. In our Hertha vs. Stuttgart tip, you can find out which team will pick up three important points in the extremely exciting relegation battle.
For the Old Lady, this match is already the last straw in the fight against relegation to the 2nd Bundesliga. Hertha BSC is in a difficult position, with a six-point gap to both the relegation place and the saving port, which is currently held by the opponent VfB Stuttgart. In the past, such a gap has already been closed once in the last four match days, namely by Eintracht Frankfurt in the 1998/99 season.
However, the Old Lady cannot be relegated for good on Saturday. Likewise, VfB cannot yet save itself for sure. The Swabians, however, will be looking to build on their strong league form at the moment. VfB has yet to lose a game in the Bundesliga under new coach Sebastian Hoeneß. The entire team has looked like a changed team since then. However, the new coach conceded his first competitive match defeat on Wednesday in the DFB Cup semifinal against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Hertha – Stuttgart info:
- Date & Time: 05/06/2023, 15:30 hrs.
- Game venue: Olympiastadion, Berlin
- Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 31.
- TV broadcast: Sky
Hertha form & balance check
While Union Berlin is fighting for a place in the Champions League at the Alte Försterei in the east of the city, the mood at Hertha BSC is very different. The Alte Dame is in the midst of a relegation battle and the situation is extremely critical. With only 22 points from the first 30 games, the capital club occupies 18th place in the Bundesliga table.
The Berliners’ gap to the relegation spot is now already six points. Even the dismissal of Sandro Schwarz has not yet had the desired effect. New coach Pál Dárdai lost his first two games against Bremen and Bayern with a goal difference of 2:6 in total. Hertha fans are now hoping for a small soccer miracle in the last four games.
No scoring instinct
With eleven goals this season, Dodi Lukébakio is the most successful scorer for the Berlin team. However, while the striker is in top form, the entire Hertha eleven is struggling with a poor goal tally of just 35 goals this season, making them one of the least productive teams in the league. Only two teams have fared worse than Hertha in this regard so far.
New winter signing Florian Niederlechner is emblematic of the problems in the Berlin attack. In the first half of the season, the striker scored four times for his old employer from Augsburg. However, the 32-year-old has yet to appear on the scoresheet in his twelve appearances for the Berliners.
Hertha facts & analysis
- Only two points from the last eight games.
- Currently in 18th place in the league
- Six points behind relegation place
Stuttgart form & balance check
VfB Stuttgart is once again fighting relegation from the 1. Bundesliga and has had a turbulent time in the coaching position. After nine winless games at the beginning of the season, Pellegrino Matarazzo had to take his hat. Interim coach Michael Wimmer initially led the way somewhat, but Bruno Labbadia took over after the winter break. However, the 57-year-old was sacked after a defeat to Union Berlin, after just eleven games in charge.
Sebastian Hoeneß finally took the reins in Stuttgart and took VfB straight to the semifinals of the DFB Cup. Even though they lost to Frankfurt there, Hoeneß and his team are still unbeaten in the league. Last weekend, the Swabians won 2-1 at home against Gladbach and climbed to 15th place in the table as a result.
Flankengott Sosa
Since coach Sebastian Hoeneß has been in charge at VfB, VfB Stuttgart has played with a three-man backline and two attacking rail players on the side. On the right, national player Josha Vagnoman plies the wing and repeatedly provides a scoring threat.
On the other side, Borna Sosa feels extremely comfortable on the rail. The Croatian may not always take defending too seriously, but he has an extremely strong left foot. The 25-year-old’s crosses are extremely dangerous. They are an integral part of VfB’s game. Therefore, it is not surprising that Sosa has hit the most crosses in the entire Bundesliga so far.
Stuttgart facts & analysis
- New coach Sebastian Hoeneß still without defeat in the league.
- Fourth weakest offense in the league
- Just one point ahead of Schalke in 17th place
Predicted lineup – last update on May 5, 2023
We expect the Berliners, as last against Bayern, in a 4-4-2. The personnel worries at the Old Lady seem to be slowly easing. The recently injured Stevan Jovetic, Marco Richter, Marton Dárdai and Kevin-Prince Boateng completed team training again on Tuesday and are thus available for the upcoming match on Saturday.
Stuttgart will again operate with a three-man backline. However, the Swabians will in all likelihood have to do without Konstantinos Mavropanos, who suffered an injury in the cup on Wednesday. In addition, Atakan Karazor will be missing on Saturday with a yellow suspension.
Hertha – Stuttgart direct comparison & statistics
The record of the two teams is quite even so far. Hertha won 28 of the 77 games against VfB Stuttgart. The Swabians, on the other hand, have been victorious 31 times against the Alte Dame. This was also the case in the first leg, when Stuttgart won 2-1 against the Berliners.
- Stuttgart won only one of last four games against Hertha.
- Both teams are separated by six points in the league.
- Did you know that Hertha BSC scores 29% of its goals between the 76-90 minute?
- When Stuttgart leads 1-0 in away games, they win 57% of the games
