Hertha BSC vs. Leverkusen preview: Two clubs desperate for a win
Hertha host Leverkusen, who need to take away something from Matchday 6 or else manager Gerardo Seoane could be out of work.
Hertha BSC
The capital club finally have their first win of the season, claiming all three points away to Augsburg last weekend. Bundesliga fans were more than pleased to see Marco Richter back on the scoresheet after receiving surgery to remove a tumor.
Oliver Christensen could face an onslaught of shots on goal if Leverkusen suddenly return to their usual form. The Dane has been more than decent this season, as Hertha have only allowed six goals through five matches. Offensively, putting away just four chances is why the club currently sit 13th in the table.
With how poor Leverkusen have been to start the season, Dodi Lukebakio and Wilfried Kanga will have their fair share of goal opportunities. Marc-Oliver Kempf and Filip Uremovic should be the center-back pairing, as Hertha haven’t won a game in 2022 when conceding a goal.
Manager Sandro Schwarz stated that, “We can't allow ourselves to be blinded by their results. We know that Leverkusen have very good individual quality and a lot of pace, especially up front."
Team News
Dongjun Lee, Kelian Nsona, Derry Scherhant and Linus Gechter are all unavailable on Matchday 6. Stevan Jovetic is questionable with a knock.
Leverkusen
This is Leverkusen’s worst start in the Bundesliga since the 1982/83 campaign. They’ve lost six of their first seven competitive games and return from a frustrating mid-week loss away to Club Brugge. At 15th in the table, some already want coach Gerardo Seoane gone.
Patrik Schick finally has his first goal of the season, as Die Werkself must believe they can score several against an inferior Hertha team. Chelsea loanee Callum Hudson-Odoi should start on the wing to join Moussa Diaby in attack.
It will be interesting to see if Seoane plays in a back three or four, but he did take some positives away from their Champions League loss: “The team defended more compactly and aggressively in Bruges and also played better offensively in the second half."
Going forward, the 43-year-old added that, “It's my job to focus on the team and put personal feelings to one side. I have to prepare the team well and make the right decisions. It's a challenge that I accept."
Team News
Florian Wirtz, Amine Adli, Karim Bellarabi and Andrey Lunev are still all out for the contest. Mitchel Bakker and Piero Hincapie are returning from suspension.