Plattenhardt a doubt for Hertha's clash with Bielefeld
Hertha's "reliable left-foot" remains questionable for Saturday's crucial relegation encounter against Arminia Bielefeld.
| Marvin Plattenhardt. | Photo: Steindy, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
The likely alternatives for Plattenhardt are Maximilian Mittelstädt and Fredrik Andre Bjørkan. The former has turned in some impressive performances as of late while the latter relieved Plattenhardt on Sunday. Magath will get winger Marco Richter back from suspension on Saturday. The man who started in Richter's place, Vladimir Darida, must serve his own yellow accumulated ban.
Two critical midfield actors, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Lucas Tousart, were absent from team training on Wednesday. According to Magath, however, this related solely to work-load management. Both players trained individually and should be fit for Saturday. The status of Myziane Maolida, Linus Gechter, and leading goalscorer Stevan Jovetic remains unknown as of yet. The trio are healthy enough to train in any case
Hertha have a chance to officially clinch class preservation on Saturday with a win against away at Bielefeld and a Stuttgart loss. A win will assure Berlin's Charlottenburg side of at least the relegation playoff place.