Bundesliga: Sense of Urgency for Both Hertha and BVB

Hertha Berlin vs Borussia Dortmund

Two clubs who are fresh from disappointing losses are set to go head-to-head as Hertha Berlin host Borussia Dortmund at the Olympiastadion this Saturday evening.

Hertha Berlin remain winless three weeks into the 2022-23 Bundesliga season after recently losing to Borussia Monchengladbach, while the other Borussia team in Dortmund suffered a shocking capitulation against newly-promoted Werder Bremen.

Both sides look to set things right for different reasons. For the hosts, a win here would finally put an end to their winless run which stretches back to their preseason in July, while for the visitors, a victory would put them back into the title mix alongside perennial archrivals Bayern Munich.

Without further ado, continue to read on below as SBOTOP offers a preview of this fun matchup.

Talking Points

Hertha Berlin in the relegation mire again

Die Alte Dame have consistently flirted with relegation in these past few seasons and they’re bound to have another difficult campaign if things don’t improve in these next few weeks.

It’s hard to blame head coach Sandro Schwarz since he’s been dealt with a bad hand.

Heading into this contest, Hertha Berlin are to miss several players in Dong-Jun Lee, Jessic Ngankam, and Kelian Nsona due to knee injuries, while Rune Jarstein is suspended indefinitely by the club and Filip Uremovic was given the red card last game.

Schwarz, though, does have some quality players who can give Borussia Dortmund’s malleable backline some problems.

Dodi Lukebakio is their top attacking threat with his athleticism and physicality, while midfielder Suat Serdar is a heady playmaker who continues to improve game by game.

Jean-Paul Boetius and Stevan Jovetic can also contribute up front, but neither have been in their best form so far this term.

Borussia Dortmund can’t afford another slip-up

The honeymoon period for Edin Terzic is over and the returning BVB coach is back to the drawing board following their implosion against Werder Bremen.

When Borussia Dortmund had a two-goal lead after 89 minutes, all they needed to do was to hold on to claim the three points. But instead, those three points disappeared in a blink of an eye.

Lee Buchanan kicked in a nice left-foot volley into the top corner, which looked like a consolation goal for the visitors, or so everybody at the Signal Iduna Park thought.

During the third minute of stoppage time, Werder Bremen kept pushing and Niklas Schmidt headed in the equaliser. Then the crowd was left in disarray two minutes later when Oliver Burke hit the dagger to the hosts’ hearts with his thumping angled shot.

The said result was a massive step back for Borussia Dortmund as it opened the door for Bayern Munich to extend their lead over everyone in the standings.

Perhaps these are growing pains for a relatively fresh Borussia Dortmund squad. The good thing for them is that football seasons are long and they still have time to figure things out.

History

Hertha Berlin and Borussia Dortmund have split their league meetings last season, with the former winning at home last December 3-2, while the latter won 2-1 during their reverse fixture in May.

The said win by Die Alte Dame was their only league victory against BVB since the start of the 2017/18 season. Before that, the hosts endured seven defeats against their visitors.

Die Alte Dame are winless in their first four games of the season in all competitions (D1, L3) for the first time since 2003/04. Sandro Schwarz became the first Hertha Berlin boss to have this unwanted record since Michael Skibbe in 2011/12 where they were eventually relegated to the second division.

Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, are on the brink of winning their first two away games of a season for the first time since 2015/16. They were the best team on the road last term with seven wins, two draws, and one loss.

Betting Tip

The Bundesliga 2022 odds are picking Borussia Dortmund to win on the road. BVB are pegged at 1.72, while Hertha Berlin are priced at 3.90 and a draw is installed at 4.30 in the 1X2 market.

We expect a wire-to-wire victory for the Yellow Wall because they’re the better team overall. Hertha Berlin’s growing injury list and lack of firepower compared to their visitors are going to be too much for them to handle. However, Hertha Berlin can score a goal here, although Borussia Dortmund will ultimately have more contributions in the Bundesliga 2022 highlights reel. Total Goal 2-3 @ 2.10 is another bet to consider if the hosts somehow find the back of the net.

 

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