Breaking down the “team of the hour”

Hertha match preview

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Gebre Selassie and his teammates are looking to take all three points at home versus Hertha once again (Photo: nordphoto).
preliminary report
Friday, 18.10.2019 / 16:55

The wait is finally over: the international break is done and Bundesliga football is finally back. Werder will be at home as they face Hertha Berlin on Saturday, 19th October (15:30 CEST). Having take two points from two away games against Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt, the Green-Whites are looking to deliver a strong performance on their own patch this time around. Florian Kohfeldt’s team are looking to give a “consistent performance” in order to take home all three points and surpass their competition. Although Kohfeldt has called Hertha “the team of the hour,” the capital city club must first find a way past SV Werder.

The squad: Following last week’s friendly against St. Pauli, head coach Florian Kohfeldt hinted that Yuya Osako could potentially feature against Berlin. However, the Japan international is not fully fit yet and, like Niklas Moisander and Ömer Toprak, will have to wait to make his comeback. “We need to place reason ahead of risk,” Kohfeldt said. “We’re only on matchday 8, and there’s plenty that could happen still. Nothing will be decided by the Hertha match.” However, the head coach did have some good news to share during the pre-match press conference: Claudio Pizarro will return to the squad after not having featured in training recently. Aside from those players with long-term injuries, Werder’s squad is once again complete.

Kohfeldt: “Extremely optimistic for the match”

The head coach ahead of the match: Like Werder, Hertha also had a somewhat bumpy start to the season. Now, the capital city club is starting to find its rhythm, having won each of their last three matches. As a result, Kohfeldt has called the Berliners the “team of the hour,” adding that he is a fan of head coach Ante Covic’s style of play. “I like the manner in which Ante lets his teams play football: it’s a very attack and pass-heavy style of play. It’s really exciting to watch them.” Aside from his fellow coach Ante Covic, Kohfeldt is also full of praise for Hertha’s attackers in Selke, Kalou and Ibisivic, who are all “similar types of players.” Being “one step faster” will be a key factor in attack on Saturday. Despite Hertha’s recent run of good form and their high-flying attack, Kohfeldt is confident in the strength of his side and is “extremely optimistic” about their chances of taking home a win on Saturday afternoon.

Last minute Piza Express

Pizarro's last minute free-kick goal resulted in wild celebrations for the Green-Whites (Photo: nordfoto).

The most recent match-up: Werder fans will likely remember their team’s most recent meeting with Frankfurt in February. Werder were down 1-0 and it looked as though they would be handed a loss in their first match of the new year. Head coach Florian Kohfeldt’s side fought hard, but were unable to find a way past the Hertha defence. In the 95th minute, Josh Sargent headed towards goal and was fouled just outside of the penalty area. Every Werder should know what happened next. None other than Claudio Pizarro stepped up to take the free-kick and sent it past the Hertha wall and into the net. A thrilling end to the match, which Werder will be hoping for once again on Saturday – but, this time with all three points in hand.

Head-to-head statistics: A look to the past reveals that the record at home versus Hertha is overwhelmingly in Werder’s favour. It’s been more than 13 years since Werder last lost to Hertha at the Osterdeich. Back then, Werder fell to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Hertha during the 2005/06 season. Overall, Werder have the better head-to-head record in 80 matches against the capital city club, having won 41 times, drawn 19 and lost 20.

The officials: Dr. Felix Brych will be the referee for Saturday’s match. The linesmen for the match will be Mark Borsch and Stefan Lupp. Robert Schröder will be the fourth official and the video assistant referee will be Günter Perl.  

 

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