Hertha BSC vs. Bremen preview: Dardai’s first test
In a sold-out Olympiastadion, the blue capital club have another go at improving their relegation chances against a struggling Werder Bremen side.
Hertha BSC
Sandro Schwarz is gone and a very familiar face is back in charge of Hertha BSC. Club legend Pal Dardai has quite the task ahead to save the club in last place from a catastrophic relegation.
Hertha haven’t won a competitive match since February and are coming off a terrible loss to Schalke last weekend. Dardai is expected to start four at the back, while Marco Richter is likely to play as a no. 10.
In his press conference, the new trainer said, "I've heard from lots of coaches already now that the team is training well, but that doesn't interest me. I will say it again - all that counts is results, results, results.”
Team News
Kelian Nsona and the suspended Filip Uremovic won’t play, while Jean-Paul Boëtius, Stevan Jovetic and Chidera Ejuke are all doubtful.
Bremen
At 12th in the table on 32 points, Werder Bremen feel fairly safe from the drop. But, you simply never know in this league as they could really use a few more points to ease any remaining fears.
Bremen also haven’t won in their last six league matches and are returning to action after a really deflating performance against Freiburg. They’ll be praying for the return of top goal-scorer, Niclas Füllkrug, who did fully participate in Werder’s final training session on Friday.
When asked about the large contingent of fans making the trip to the capital, Ole Werner stated, "We will have great support there with us. It will be a game full of emotions, but we'll keep a cool head and play our game."
Team News
Werner mentioned that he would be cautious over Füllkrug’s involvement, so it’s unclear if the star striker will start from the off. It’s a homecoming for defender Niklas Stark, who faces his former club on Saturday.