Bartels had to battle for his place in the team after overcoming problems in his adductor. He was brought on five times but only started one match before the Nordderby, in which Bartels excelled. “Nobody likes sitting on the bench but it is about what is the best way to bring the team success. When other players are ahead of you, you simply have to try to use the minutes you have on the pitch and dig in for the team,” Bartels said in his typically modest manner. 

Returning to the starting XI has however noticeably given the winger more confidence, and Bartels wants to see more belief amongst the whole team. “We’ll see what we can achieve with a bit of self-confidence in Berlin. It is then that you achieve success in matches,” believes Bartels as he cited the last-minute win for Hertha in Wolfsburg as an example. “You have to work hard in these periods and we need to do that. We want to have a good level of confidence and to be at ease in this game. That will definitely be easier with four points behind us than having loads of pressure on our shoulders,” Bartels explained. A successful result against BSC would represent another step in the right direction.