Herta Berlin vs Borussia Dortmund 17/03/19

17 March 2019

Hertha Berlin and Borussia Dortmund go head-to-head at the Olympiastadion as the visitors desperately seek all three points to keep up the pace with Bayern Munich in the title run-in.

Two defeats in their last three Bundesliga fixtures (W1, L2) have significantly diminished Hertha’s chances of reaching the Europa League promotion, as they currently sit 10th with a seven-point deficit to sixth-placed Bayer Leverkusen. After a strong start to the season, the hosts have slowed down in the recent period, picking up just one triumph in their last five BL home outings (W1, D3, L1). Die Alte Dame’s main problem at the moment is the shaky backline that has failed to keep a clean sheet in 11 of Hertha’s last 12 races across all competitions, allowing over 1.5 goals per match six times in the process. The one thing that can encourage Pal Dardai is that Borussia Dortmund walked away from the Olympiastadion with all three points just once on five their previous visits to this venue (W1, D2, L2).

On the other hand, the visitors can’t afford a failure anymore as they currently share the top spot of the Bundesliga table with Bayern Munich. The Black and Yellows are enduring a turbulent period having pulled off just two triumphs in their last nine games across all competitions (W2, D4, L3). What’s more, BVB go into this meeting off the back of a three-game BL road winless run (D2, L1). Lucien Favre has to find a way to improve his team’s defensive performances that have seen them fail to preserve a clean slate in nine of their last ten competitive encounters, conceding 2+ match goals five times along the way. However, Paco Alcacer and his fellow teammates in attack have managed to counterbalance poor defensive displays, which is why four of BVB’s last five BL contests produced over 2.5 goals, with goals coming on both ends each time.