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Hertha BSC – Union Berlin
The eighth capital derby between Hertha BSC and 1. FC Union Berlin in the Bundesliga is scheduled for next weekend. After the 3:1 home victory on Matchday 1, the Köpenicker now want to win the second duel of the season with their city rivals. The omens for the match are clearly in favour of the Eisernen. Our Hertha vs. Union betting tips will tell you whether we see it the same way.
From the hosts’ point of view, it smells like the next bitter disappointment. After a generally weak first half of the season, in which there were nevertheless a few good games, the Old Lady put in two absolutely subterranean performances in the first two games after the winter break. They lost 1:3 at VfL Bochum and even lost 0:5 against the in-form VfL Wolfsburg. Now, just four days later, the Blue and Whites have the chance to set the record straight with a derby win in front of their home crowd. However, recent performances and a look at the last duels with Union give the fans little hope that the derby will end well for the Charlottenburg side.
Hertha -Union Info
– Date & Time: 28.01.2023, 15:30 hrs.
– Venue: Berlin, Olympiastadion
– Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 18
– TV broadcast: Sky
Hertha Form & Balance Check
The hosts won their last game before the winter break against Cologne 2-0 and at least ensured a halfway conciliatory end to the year after three defeats in a row beforehand and a disappointing Hinrunde. However, this tiny credit was quickly squandered. The second half of the season began with a 3-1 defeat in Bochum and a 5-0 debacle against Wolfsburg. Will relegation finally happen this year?
As things stand at the moment, it looks very much like it. The only notable reinforcement of the winter – Florian Niederlechner from FC Augsburg – entered team training at the beginning of this week and will soon celebrate his debut. But he, too, is a player who depends on the quality of his teammates. Otherwise, the squad as a whole has actually become worse, since winger Ejuke will miss large parts of the second half of the season due to injury and with Selke, Lee, Darida, Björkan, Gechter, Ascacibar and Zeefuik, numerous supplementary players have been released. Hopes now rest on youngsters like Ngankam or Scherhant.
Will Hertha soon lose touch?
After the home game against Union, three more lumps await with Frankfurt, Gladbach and Dortmund. Should Hertha, as expected, not get many points from these games, the competition could soon be left behind. Results like Augsburg’s 1:0 against Gladbach make the situation increasingly threatening. The second half of the season is still long, but there is a lack of imagination as to where the sudden turnaround will come from for the Old Lady.
Hertha facts & analysis
– 14 points from 17 games
– Last lost 0:5 against Wolfsburg
– Last 4 derbies all lost
Union Form & Balance Check
The second-round opener of the two Berlin Bundesliga teams perfectly describes the current balance of power in the capital. While the Alte Dame got off to a false start with zero points from two games, their neighbours from Köpenick took the full six points and thus consolidated their strong second place in the table. Shortly before the winter break, Union ran out of steam, picking up only one point from their last three games.
Load on many shoulders
Unlike most games this season, strikers Jordan Siebatcheu and Sheraldo Becker were not in the spotlight in the recent victories against Hoffenheim (3-1) and Bremen (2-1). Against TSG, centre-back Danilo Doekhi shone with a brace (73rd, 89th), while Jamie Leweling, who had come on as a substitute shortly before, provided the decisive goal. Jordan substitute Hanno Behrens and midfield motor Jannik Haberer scored in the 2-1 win against Bremen. The variability stands out at the moment, against Hertha it could be other players who do the job.
On paper, there is virtually no reason why the Köpenickers should not start the second half of the season with a derby win at the Olympiastadion, but perhaps that is precisely the problem. In the role of favourites, the team that is strong on running and counter-attacking often has a hard time, even if the same cannot be said of the last duels with Hertha. The last four derbies all went to Köpenick and it would be quite a surprise if this series is not extended on Saturday.
Union facts & analysis
– 33 points from 17 games.
– Last win 2:1 in Bremen
– None of the last 7 games without conceding a goal
Predicted line-up – last updated 27 January 2023
There are likely to be changes for the West Berliners after the disappointing 5-0 defeat to Wolfsburg, although the alternatives are few and far between. Judging by the marks, keeper Christensen and central defender Kempf were the only bright spots. It is quite possible that in such a game Kevin-Prince Boateng will be allowed to play as a leader. Uremovic should be the second central defender due to Rogel’s yellow suspension.
Union could rotate a bit in the derby. Siebatcheu is likely to return for Behrens in the forward line. In the centre, Schäfer and Seguin are the other options as Thorsby is not yet fit again.
Hertha – Union direct comparison & statistics
In recent years, the Köpenicker have risen to become the clear number one in Berlin – this also applies to the direct duels. Union have won the last four derbies (3x Bundesliga, 1x Pokal). The last two encounters were won by the Eisernen 4:1 and 3:1. In total, there were six wins for Union, three for Hertha and three draws in this pairing.
– A year ago, Union Berlin were in 8th position in the table with 24 points. Currently they are in position 3 (30).
– The average number of goals in the first half in matches between Hertha BSC and Union Berlin is 1.4.
– The winner of the last encounter was Union Berlin.
– A look at Hertha BSC: Dodi Lukebakio is the top scorer with 7 goals. Sheraldo Becker scored 7 times for Union Berlin.
