Hertha visit the Weser-Stadion for the Saturday night Bundesliga fixture, in what is a crunch game for both sides, with the match kicking off at 18:30 CET. Ex-Werder striker Davie Selkie and his Hertha side sit comfortably in 11th place with 25 points, meanwhile SV Werder are looking to take their first victory of 2018 having had two very positive performances after the winter break, but in both of which they have failed to take maximum points.
Previous encounters: Hertha have not had a great record against Werder away from home. Of the last nine games between the two sides at thhe Weser-Satdion, Werder have taken eight victories. In the corresponding fixture last season, Werder continued their good run of form in to take the three points. The magical duo of Fin Bartels and Max Kruse had already decided the game within the first quarter of an hour. Bartels scored to give Werder the lead after nine minutes, with Kruse doubling the lead just a few minutes afterwards. Hertha had no answer and Werder walk away with the victory. When the two sides met in the first half of the 2018/19 season in the Olympiastadion, Werder picked up their first point of the season. Matthew Leckie grabbed the lead for the Hertha but Thomas Delaney snatched an equalizer in the 59th minute to earn a well-deserved point for the Green-Whites.
Florian Kohfeldt on the upcoming home match: “I am expecting a well-disciplined Hertha side that will defend man-to-man and not allow us to have any space. We will have to be smart, find the little gaps and play what’s there in front of us. I don’t expect them to press us high up the pitch.” Hertha are not only known for their well-organised defence but also for how clinical they have been upfront. “Offensively they are very dangerous with players like Kalou and Selke. We have to be wary of their forwards: we can't allow them to get into our defence,” said head coach Kohfeldt, aware of the quality of their opponent. Kohfeldt is approaching the match with great optimism and knows that this Werder side need the three points. “We know that with our recent performances, we have had the opportunity to win games. Recently we have definitely improved but the fact is that we can’t just be happy with good performances; we need the points,” says a determined Kohfeldt.
Welcome back Davie! Davie Selke played a total of 33 matches for Werder before moving to RB Leipzig, at the time a Bundesliga 2 side. After two years at Leipzig, Selke now plays for Hertha and has shown how devastating he can be as a goal threat. In twelve Bundesliga matches, Selke has scored five goals and has also scored four goals this in their Europa League campaign. His form this season has seen his draw level with his record goal tally, when he scored nine goals for the Green-Whites back in the 2014/15 season. Therefore as he returns to his old club, the boys at the back will need to be vigilant of this man’s fine form in front of goal. He has recently stated that he would not celebrate if he scored against his former club, but as much we enjoy seeing former Green-Whites back at the Weser Stadion, we hope that he will have nothing to cheer about come Saturday evening.
Eligibility: Neither side have any suspensions to worry about. However, a number of players have had four bookings this season and will therefore need to be cautious, including: Florian Kainz and Robert Bauer for the Green-Whites and Marvin Plattenhardt for Hertha.
Team news: There is hope for Lamine Sané as he recovers from his illness. The Senegalese international has been following an individual training program this week and continues to improve. “James Vollert will not feature this weekend. He suffered a thigh injury during training, which could put him out for some time,” Kohfeldt explained. Ole Käuper will also not be available for this weekend. Aside from Vollert, Käuper and Sané, Kohfeldt can draw upon the entire squad, even Bargfrede who missed Wednesday’s training was back in action on Thursday.
Bastian Dankert will referee the match. The 37-year-old previously took the match against VfB Stuttgart, which saw Werder take home the three points at the Weser-Stadion.
