Hertha Berlin vs Bayern: Strugglers face a tough task ahead
Struggling side Hertha Berlin will face a challenge when reigning champs Bayern Munich arrive on Friday evening.
Die Alte Dame have picked up just one point from their last five games, and come into this match on a three-game losing streak. It’s a disappointing turn of events for Pal Dardai’s side, who kicked off the New Year with a 3-0 win over Schalke. However, despite a fairly “comfortable” fixture list, Hertha failed to take advantage of their next four games, picking up just a point before being overwhelmed by Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend.
And their fortunes don’t look likely to improve when Bayern Munich come to town. Although die Roten have been conceding goals at an alarming rate – in fact, their defense hasn’t been this leaky since the 1980s – Hansi Flick’s men are still getting the job done. They currently sit seven points ahead of the chasing pack and will likely gain a temporary ten-point advantage over second placed RB Leipzig by the time this match concludes. With a trip to Qatar for the Club World Cup coming up, Flick may opt to rotate his squad slightly in order to keep everyone healthy ahead of that tournament. As we know, Bayern are on a quest to become only the second club to win “the Sextuple”, and they are well on their way after adding the DFL-Supercup and the UEFA Super Cup to their Treble from last year.
Robert Lewandowski also will want to get involved here as he looks to break Gerd Muller’s record for the most goals scored in a season. The 32-year-old Polish ace is racking up the goals at an impressive rate, with 24 so far and there are still plenty of games to play this campaign. 12 of those goals have come in just his last nine games, meaning that if he continues at this pace he will certainly not just match the 40 strikes accomplished by the German icon during the 1971/92 season, but surpass it and then some. A win here will also give Bayern five league wins on the spin before their trip to Qatar, and will be the perfect response following their shocking loss in the DFB-Pokal last month.
This season’s title race has shaped up to be a lot more interesting than prior editions, with teams like Leipzig, Gladbach, Wolfsburg, and Eintracht Frankfurt looking to have a say, as well as, of course, Borussia Dortmund. However, over the past month, Bayern have started to roar to life while many of their title challengers have started to slip behind, and neutrals will hope that this isn’t a sign of a return to the one-horse race affair that has plagued Germany’s top flight for nearly a decade.
However, if those neutrals are hoping that Hertha Berlin will be the side to halt Bayern, they’ll be best to place their hopes elsewhere. Bayern have lost just one of their last 20 meetings with die Alte Dame across all comps, are unbeaten in 17 of their last 20 away games in the Bundesliga, and have scored in their last 50 Bundesliga fixtures. The last team to hold them scoreless? RB Leipzig, back in February 2020. Die Roten Bullen were the only side to prevent Bayern from scoring and winning during their victorious campaign last term.
Now, Hertha Berlin did beat Bayern on September 28, 2018 – a 2-0 rare victory at their home ground – but that remains their only success in their last 20 meetings. They also gave the reigning champs a real battle in the reverse fixture last year, before Lewandowski completed his poker in injury time to ensure that his side came out on top 4-3. Unfortunately, things have since changed, and both teams will come into this tie on different paths, so it’s highly improbable that die Alte Dame will be the side to halt Bayern’s recent resurgent form.
