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Hertha BSC vs. Hamburger SV
Hertha BSC have failed to achieve direct class retention. The Old Lady has to go to the Bundesliga relegation, just like ten years ago. This situation resulted from the 1:2 defeat on the last matchday of the Bundesliga in Dortmund and the simultaneous home victory of VfB Stuttgart over Cologne. Hertha and Stuttgart both finished the regular season with 33 points, but the Swabians secured their direct stay in the league with the better goal difference.
As a result, the capital club dropped to 16th place in the table. Coach Felix Magath took over Hertha in 17th place in the table, which is why the Berlin head coach sees reaching the relegation as a successful stage goal. Hertha will now face Hamburger SV in the relegation. This will be a special duel for Felix Magath, as he was German champion with HSV three times as a player and won the European Cup of Champions once. The 68-year-old says himself that he still has close ties to Hamburg. Likewise, Magath also said that he wants to beat “his” club.
Hamburger Sportverein won 3-2 at Hansa Rostock last Sunday to finalise their participation in the relegation. Coach Tim Walter’s team finished the 2nd Bundesliga season as the team with the best form. No other second division team was able to win five games in a row. Therefore, there should be enough self-confidence and confidence for the first leg in Berlin’s Olympiastadion. Goal scorer Glatzel said himself: “We’re going to Berlin with the hope and expectation that we’ll get promoted.” Whether HSV could already defeat the Old Lady in the first leg, you can read in our Hertha – HSV betting tip.
Hertha – HSV Info
– Date & Time: 19.05.2022, at 20:30 hrs.
– Venue: Berlin, Olympiastadion
Competition: Bundesliga-Relegation (First leg)
– TV broadcast: Sky & SAT.1
Hertha Form & Balance Check
For the upcoming first leg of the relegation, coach Felix Magath has arranged for another training camp. The Old Lady will prepare for the match on Thursday evening in Brandenburg at the Olympic training centre Kienbaum. The final deciding factor for BSC having to go into the relegation was the worse goal difference compared to Stuttgart. The Berliners had a goal difference of -34, while Stuttgart was only -18. With the relegation, Hertha now get two chances to save the season. Coach Magath has achieved the interim goal of jumping from 17th to 16th place. After Hertha beat VfB Stuttgart 2-0 on matchday 31, the Alte Dame missed three match balls for direct class preservation.
Defensive play is unsuccessful
Under Felix Magath, Hertha play very pragmatic football and were right with this game idea for the time being. The Alte Dame defends very compactly and is very efficient with its own chances. Often Hertha scored the 1:0 under Magath and were able to turn the lead into three points, like against Hoffenheim, Augsburg and Stuttgart. But in the last three games a 1:0 was not enough. The games against Bielefeld, Mainz and Dortmund ended without a three-pointer for the Berliners. In Bielefeld and Dortmund, Hertha led 1-0 on both occasions. Magath must once again sharpen the senses of his players for the game against HSV.
Hertha facts & analysis
– Hertha BSC have not won three games in a row.
– Alte have scored in every party under Magath so far.
– The Berliners lost their last home game 1-2 against Mainz.
HSV Form & Balance Check
Many pundits thought it was impossible for Hamburger Sportverein to get another chance at promotion a few weeks ago. But HSV rolled up the field from behind. After the 0:1 defeat against Holstein Kiel, the Red Shirts were in 6th place in the table, seven points behind the relegation place. Coach Tim Walter kept faith in his team and was proved right. HSV won all of their last five games and finished 3rd in the table, level on points with Darmstadt – and with the better goal difference.
Believing in the system of play
The most severe and recurring criticism of HSV’s football is coach Tim Walter’s style of play. The Reds play forward come hell or high water. The DFB Cup semi-final against Freiburg showed that the North Germans could also play very offensively against Hertha. Looking at their five most recent victories in a row, Hamburg won all of these games, but recently also conceded two goals in Rostock. Statistically, Hamburg concedes at least one goal per game.
HSV Facts & Analysis
– HSV won five games in a row in the 2. Bundesliga.
– The Reds scored a whole 16 goals in the last five games.
– Hamburg have not won in Berlin since 2012.
Predicted line-up – last update on 17 May 2022
In fact, Hertha BSC could make their fourth change in total at the goalkeeper position. The current regular goalkeeper Lotka broke his nose bone by jumping against the post in the match against Borussia Dortmund and also suffered a concussion when he hit the aluminium. Thus, the actual substitute goalkeeper Christensen could make his debut between the posts for Hertha BSC. Ascacíbar will definitely be absent. The Argentine picked up his 5th yellow card and is suspended. It is possible that the six-man will be replaced by Darida or Stark. In addition, the changes Selke for Belfodil and Richter for Ekkelenkamp are not unlikely. The Alte Dame will play in a 4-2-3-1 system. Should this not be the case, Magath will have two alternatives in mind with the 4-1-4-1 and 4-4-2.
Tim Walter’s departure from his attacking approach to the game in Berlin is almost out of the question. HSV operated in their usual offensive style in the semi-final against Freiburg. Whether it will be a 4-3-3 or 4-1-4-1 system, like last time in Rostock, is probably a question that HSV will only answer when kick-off. With the exception of the long-term injured Leibold, the Reds will be able to field their best eleven in the first leg.
Hertha – HSV Direct comparison & Statistics
Hertha BSC and Hamburger Sportverein have already met 76 times. In this duel, the Alte Dame earned the more positive record. Berlin won 33 matches, whereas HSV only managed to win 30. A further 13 meetings ended in a draw. The last time the two sides met, the whistle blew for a 2-1 win for Hertha.
– The last time the two teams met was on 17/03/2018 (2:1 for Hertha in Hamburg).
– Hertha won the last duel in Berlin with 2:1 (28/10/2017).
– Hertha have won all of their last five home games against HSV.
– The last time HSV won an away match at the Old Lady was on 28/02/2012.
