Hertha Berlin

When the boys train at Schenckendorffplatz, it is inevitable that their eyes will turn to the Olympiastadion itself. At the beginning of the week’s training, it wouldn’t be surprising for images of playing just there to run through the minds of a Hertha player here or there. “Obviously, there is a lot of anticipation for the game with the fans behind us right over there. We want to work hard to reinforce the last few home results against FSV Mainz,” confessed Maximilian Mittelstädt. On Tuesday, preparation began for the clash with the Zerofivers (11.03.23, 15:30 CET).

Hertha have won their last two home games in a row. The Blue-Whites would like to extend that run to three with the upcoming home game against FSV Mainz 05 on Saturday (11.03.23, 15:30 CET). This will be no easy task though, with the Zerofivers having won three straight games, making them one of the most in-form teams in the Bundesliga. The game also has special significance for head coach Sandro Schwarz, who was not only born in capital of Rhineland-Pfalz, but also spent 15 years at the club both as a player and as a coach. “They are a team that is very aggressive, defend well, are prepared to put in lots of running and sprints and play simple football. We are expecting a competitive game. I enjoyed a very intense time there, because of that I am looking forward to the game and seeing lots of familiar faces,” explained the 44-year-old looking forward to the upcoming game in his matchday press conference. herthabsc.com has summarised the key points, as Schwarz spoke about…

With the first international break of the year coming up at the end of March, Hertha BSC will use the time to raise funds for a good cause. On Friday, 24th March 2023 (18:00 CEST), the Old Lady will play a charity match at the Poststadion against Regionalliga side Berliner AK. Both clubs will donate all the proceeds from the match to help the victims of the tragic earthquake in Turkey earlier this year.

777 Partners have become a new shareholder of Hertha BSC GmbH & Co. KGaA. The private investment firm with headquarters in Miami has quickly built up a global, multi-club network which includes several long-standing football clubs such as Italy’s Genoa, Brazil’s Vasco da Gama, Belgium’s Standard Liège, France’s Red Star FC, Spain’s Sevilla FC and Australia’s Melbourne Victory FC. 777 Partners have acquired all shares in Hertha BSC GmbH & Co. KGaA that were previously owned by Peil Investment B.V., a subsidiary of Tennor Holding B.V. (64.7%).

Sandro Schwarz made two changes to the starting eleven from the defeat in Leverkusen. Márton Dárdai replaced Agustín Rogel (bench) in the back-three, while Jessic Ngankam came in for Dodi Lukébakio up front (bench). Wilfried Kanga also celebrated his first game back in the squad after injury. The in-form Zerofivers made one change, with Anton Stach replacing Dominik Kohr in midfield.

Hertha didn’t have much to beat themselves up about and yet they were unable to come away with a win against FSV Mainz 05 and instead could only pick up a 1-1 draw. “We had a lot of chances on goal and honestly didn’t give our opponents much. Mainz then made their goal from their one opportunity, which is very annoying,” said Marvin Plattenhardt. Marc Kempf agreed with the Blue-Whites’ captain: “Hitting the bar is obviously annoying because we were just a few centimetres away from a win. However, we can always do with points in the relegation battle. We have gotten stronger, put in a lot of effort, and are together as a team,” underlined Hertha’s number 20. herthabsc.com has summarised the immediate reaction.

The discussions had been ongoing for a while, but the ink is finally dry and both parties were pleased to be able to announce that 777 Partners have become a new shareholder of Hertha BSC. “It’s a great day for Hertha BSC and our future,” Kay Bernstein said during a press conference on Monday. Joining our president on the podium was Josh Wander, the CEO of 777 Partners, and our managing director Thomas E. Herrich. The trio commented on topics such as the importance of the partnership to the club and the investment group from Miami, how the cooperation will be structured and joint aims. “We now want to restructure ourselves, get back to basics and leave the megalomania from recent years in the past,” said Bernstein.

24 games have been played in the 2022/23 Bundesliga season, which corresponds to about 70 percent of the total number of matches, with ten games remaining. Both their own results and those of other teams can still change things considerably for every side, including Hertha. Sandro Schwarz is not a fan of numbers games and projections in the relegation battle. “In the end, you have to control it yourselves, no one will help you,” stressed the head coach, focusing on his own players, and added, “We have picked up seven points in the last five games, and only by doing this can we make an impact. We also need patience and clarity to continue working and developing.”

After the announcement of 777 Partners as a new strategic partner of Hertha BSC, a new supervisory board for Hertha BSC GmbH & Co. KGaA was elected last Friday, 10th March 2023 in an extraordinary general meeting. 777 Partners now hold 78.8% of capital shares in Hertha BSC GmbH & Co. KGaA, with 74.9% of these voting shares. 777 Partners and Hertha BSC have agreed that a blocking minority of 25.1% of voting rights will remain with Hertha BSC e. V.

The pre-match press conference ahead of this weekend’s game was a slightly different one this week as head coach Sandro Schwarz was absent due to a stomach bug. In his place was assistant coach Volkan Bulut, who discussed Saturday’s away game against TSG Hoffenheim (18/03/23, 15:30 CET), who spoke at a press conference for the first time.  “It’s a new situation for me, but of course we’re in contact with Sandro all the time. We’re either messaging or speaking on the phone and we discuss everything we’re working on,” said the 41-year-old. “For us, it doesn’t mean much that the two clubs are close to each other in the table. We’ll focus on ourselves,” said Bulut on this weekend’s clash against Hoffenheim. Here’s what the assistant coach had to say on: