Hertha BSC vs Mainz 05 preview: Can Hertha guarantee their Bundesliga survival?
Hertha enter Saturday's contest knowing that they could make sure of their place in the Bundesliga with a victory over Mainz 05, who are looking to clinch just their third away league win of the season.
| Felix Magath. |
Hertha BSC
Hertha will be aiming to extend their current unbeaten run to four matches on Saturday after collecting seven points from their last three games.
Wins over Augsburg and Stuttgart were followed by a 1-1 draw against Arminia Bielefeld last weekend. Hertha were moments away from a third consecutive victory following Lucas Tousart's opener, but Joakim Nilsson equalised in stoppage time to deny Felix Magath's side the three points.
Despite dropping points last weekend, Hertha know that they cannot finish in the automatic relegation places after Bielefeld lost to Bochum on Friday night.
They are not out of the woods yet though, with four points separating them from the relegation playoff place.
The hosts know that a win on Saturday would guarantee their Bundesliga survival, while it would also represent back-to-back away victories.
Despite having the second-worst defensive record in the top flight, Hertha looked to have discovered a newfound defensive resilience after conceding one goal across their last three matches.
Team News
Hertha's injury list includes the likes of Stevan Jovetic and goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow, while Lukas Klunter is a doubt for Saturday's contest.
Mainz 05
Mainz may have drifted away from the European places in the last few weeks, but they will be in a buoyant mood ahead of Saturday's contest after beating champions Bayern Munich last weekend.
Jonathan Burkardt got Mainz up and running before Moussa Niakhaté doubled his side's advantage. Bayern managed to halve the deficit before the breakthrough Robert Lewandowski, but rather than making a comeback in the second half, the champions conceded a third, with Leandro Barreiro finding the net to wrap up a 3-1 win for Bo Svensson's charges.
That result took their home points tally for the season to 34, giving Mainz the third-best home record in the Bundesliga. However, they have been unable to transfer that form to their away fixtures, with Die Nullfünfer one of two teams who have failed to reach double digits for away points this season.
As a result, Mainz enter Saturday's contest with the second-worst away record in the league. They are currently winless in their last 12 away matches, having not won a match on their travels since October.
If Mainz manage to change that this weekend, then it would represent a league double for Die Nullfünfer after beating Hertha 4-0 in the reverse fixture.
Team News
The visitors are expected to be without the services of Paul Nebel, Jae-Sung Lee, Delano Burgzorg. Meanwhile, Niklas Tauer remains suspended for Mainz.