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SC Freiburg vs. Hertha BSC
On the 24th matchday of the Bundesliga, the duel between the most positive and the most negative surprise of the 2021/22 season will take place in the very south of the republic. The current sixth-placed team in the table from Freiburg will receive the capital club Hertha BSC, who are now in serious danger of relegation. Kick-off is at the Europapark Stadium on Saturday at 15:30.
Freiburg won the first leg at the Olympiastadion 1-2 thanks to a late joker goal from Nils Petersen (78th). He scored in three of the last four encounters with the Berliners – always as a substitute. In the upcoming encounter, however, he could possibly make his mark on the game earlier. Last matchday in Augsburg, Christian Streich brought on the 33-year-old from the start for the first time this season. Petersen repaid that faith with a goal in the 4th minute and could now be in the starting eleven again against Hertha.
In our Freiburg vs Hertha tip, we now reveal who we think will leave the field as the winner and what other predictions we would make on this seemingly one-sided game.
Freiburg – Hertha Info
– Date & Time: 26/02/2022, 15:30.
– Venue: Freiburg, Europa-Park Stadion (up to 34,000 spectators)
– Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 24
– TV broadcast: Sky Sport Bundesliga
Freiburg Form & Balance Check
While Hertha BSC need to step it up a notch in the final spurt of the season and tear themselves apart for every single point, SC Freiburg simply want to keep up their performances. 37 points after 23 match days means the second-best haul in Bundesliga history for the Breisgauer. Only in the 1994/95 season were there more points (43), when SC finished third.
Most recently, the 1-0 defeat in Cologne and the 1-1 draw against Mainz 05 were followed by a 1-2 away win at FC Augsburg, which was easy to predict for any lover of statistics. Since matchday 14 (0:6 win in Mönchengladbach), Freiburg have won exactly every third Bundesliga match. During this period, a win was always followed by a defeat and a draw, before the next win came the following week. Against Hertha, the aim is to record two wins in a row for the first time since Matchday 10.
Standard strength as the key to success?
Freiburg have already scored 18 times from standard situations this Bundesliga season – that’s top in the Bundesliga! Hertha, on the other hand, have already conceded 14 goals from set-pieces this season, two of which came in the 2-1 home defeat to Freiburg in the Hinrunde. Moreover, Freiburg’s twelve headed goals are already a new club record for a Bundesliga season, while Hertha have already conceded as many headed goals (11) as in the entire pre-season. With an inexperienced keeper between the posts, any Freiburg standard could be dangerous.
Freiburg facts & analysis
– 37 points from 23 games
– Last win 1:2 in Augsburg
– Already scored 12 headed goals – already club record in one season
– Won last 3 home games against Hertha
Hertha Form & Balance Check
Place 18, two points and 5:16 goals – that is Hertha’s current record from six second-round matches. No team in the Bundesliga has been worse since Matchday 18. After the 1:6 against Leipzig, the figures read even more frightening and by now even the last optimist should have realised that relegation of the capital club is no longer unlikely. The problems of the Berliners are deep-seated and can be found in both the offensive and the defensive. With 51 goals conceded after 23 Bundesliga matchdays, Hertha are only one goal below the club’s negative record from the 1964/65 season. Only five goals in the last six games is also a cruel figure in view of the sometimes feasible opponents (Wolfsburg, Cologne, Bochum, Fürth).
3 Keeper out of action – Lotka to make Bundesliga debut
As if the Berliners didn’t have enough worries at the moment, they now also have a goalkeeping problem. After the absences of Jarstein (knee surgery) and Christensen (muscular problems), regular keeper Schwolow tested positive for the Corona virus on Thursday. Therefore, 20-year-old Marcel Lotka is likely to make his Bundesliga debut against Freiburg.
Coach Tayfun Korkut now appealed to remain confident despite the many setbacks. “The most important thing is that we don’t get restless. I sense cohesion and above all that everyone is accepting this situation.” Whether that will also be seen on the pitch on Saturday remains to be seen. The last guest games in Freiburg have not exactly been successful under much better conditions. Most recently, the Berliners lost three times in a row in the Breisgau, last season even clearly with 4:1.
Bielefeld Fakten & Analyse
– 23 points from 23 games
– Last lost 1:6 against Leipzig
– 51 goals conceded after 23 matchdays – second worst figure ever
– 18th place in the second-round table
Predicted line-up – last update on 24 Feb 2022
With Freiburg, things could well turn out differently than we expected. Instead of Sallai, Höler and Petersen, Schade, Demirovic and/or Jeong could also play. Only 22-year-old Keitel is missing due to injury (broken toe). The Berliners had several corona cases before the home match against Leipzig and currently it is not yet clear what the squad situation will be for the upcoming match. On Thursday, it was announced that keeper Schwolow had also tested positive. Since Jarstein (knee surgery) and Christensen (muscular problems), the other two keepers, are also out, 20-year-old Marcel Lotka should unexpectedly make his Bundesliga debut.
Otherwise, we expect the starting eleven seen above against Freiburg. Instead of Stark and Mittelstädt, Boyata and/or newcomer Björkan could also play. In the centre, Serdar, Tousart and Ekkelenkamp will fight for the place next to Darida and Ascacibar. Maolida could also play for the injured Jovetic. Also absent are Kempf (red suspension), Dardai (ankle ligament injury) and newcomer Nsona (cruciate ligament tear). Of those infected (Stark, Serdar, Klünter, Mittelstädt, Plattenhardt, Boateng, Ekkelenkamp and Lee), only Ekkelenkamp, Mittelstädt and Serdar have tested out so far.
Ermedin Demirovic in the big interview!
📲 Read now: https://t.co/eSUOo2gJIs
___SCF pic.twitter.com/F13yt97NMt– SC Freiburg (@scfreiburg) February 23, 2022
Freiburg – Hertha direct comparison & Statistics
Duels between these two clubs usually have the better end for the home team. Freiburg’s 1:2 away win in the first leg of the current season was their first away win in this pairing since February 2015 (0:2 for Freiburg). The balance of the last five encounters is also narrowly in favour of the SCF, with three wins to two. The last away win for Berlin in Freiburg was in February 2010 (0:3). Freiburg have won all of their last three home games.
– Attention, goals are likely to be scored today: Hertha BSC have conceded one goal in each of their last 5 matches.
– In front of their home crowd, SC Freiburg have a proud record of 8 games without defeat against Hertha BSC.
– When Hertha BSC lead 0-1 in away matches, they win 62% of the matches.
– The winner of the last encounter was SC Freiburg.
– SC Freiburg: Nicolas Höfler has collected the most yellow cards (4). For Hertha BSC it’s Suat Serdar (6).
