Hertha Berlin

Sandro Schwarz named an unchanged starting eleven from the team who started the competitive 3-2 loss against Bayern on Saturday. There were also no changes on the bench. VfB interim head coach Michael Wimmer made three changes from the 3-1 loss against Borussia Mönchengladbach, bringing in Hiroki Itō, Lilian Egloff and Silas Katompa Mvumpa in place of Pascal Stenzel, Luca Pfeiffer (both on the bench) and Chris Führich (out due to muscular problems).

Frustration and anger along with disappointment were the prevailing emotions in the Blue-Whites’ camp after conceding in the eighth minute of additional time to lose 2-1 against VfB Stuttgart. After the full time whistle, Jean-Paul Boëtius tried to find the right words. “A game lasts until the final whistle. We are very, very annoyed because we definitely wanted to win and get three points,” said Hertha’s number 10, visibly frustrated. Hertha need to keep their head up ahead of the game on Saturday (12.11.22, 15:30 CET), where they take on 1. FC Köln at the Olympiastadion. “Why shouldn’t we turn up and win against Köln? The time has to come where we manage to pick up good results. I believe in the coach and in this team!” said the Netherlands player leaving no room for doubt. herthabsc.com have the immediate reaction from Boëtius and Oliver Christensen.

End of the double gameweek, end of competitive games for the season!  The ‘Old Lady’ will take on 1. FC Köln this Saturday ((12.11.22, 15:30 CET) in the final Bundesliga clash of 2022. With the supporters in the stands behind them, the team want to successfully complete the last remaining task of the year. My greatest wish is that we put in a top performance on Saturday, there is a brilliant atmosphere in the stadium yet again and get three points out of the game in the end. We have to improve in some areas and want to leave everything on the pitch one last time,” emphasised Sandro Schwarz in his press conference before the game. Fredi Bobic also looked ahead to the final outing of the season with excitement. “The stadium will be fairly full, the atmosphere will be good. We have to be on top in the decisive moments and finish the game well. Having such a long break is new to all of us, so it will be even nicer if we can finish the year off with a win,” suggested Hertha’s managing director for sport and communication. herthabsc.com has compiled the most important comments. Schwarz and Bobic spoke about…

Sandro Schwarz made two changes to his starting eleven from the game against Stuttgart for the final Bundesliga game of the year, with Ivan Šunjić and Wilfried Kanga coming in for Suat Serdar and Davie Selke. Former Herthaner Ondrej Duda started for Köln.

The relief of those in blue and white inside the Olympaiastadion was clear for all to see and was shown in celebrations of fans and players alike at full time. The 2-0 win against 1. FC Köln meant not only an uplifting end to the double game week, but also a positive end to the year overall for the ‘Old Lady’. “We knew what was in front of us and were well prepared for it. We had to win, we wanted to win and we won!” emphasised Marco Richter, the scorer of Hertha’s second goal, in the mixed zone. “We were able to end the year on a high with a home win and were able to celebrate in front of the Kurve once again – it is a nice end to a very exciting year, for the fans as well,” underlined Hertha’s number 23. herthabsc.com has the initial reaction at the Olympiastadion.

After ending 2022 with a win at home against 1. FC Köln, Hertha BSC are looking forward to the new year. The first round of fixtures up to matchday 19 had already previously been announced, with the Blue-Whites travelling to Bochum on 21st January (Sat., 15:30 CET) and hosting rivals 1. FC Union on 28th January (Sat., 15:30 CET). Today, the Deutsche Fußball-Liga confirmed the dates and kick-off times for all fixtures on matchdays 20 to 25.

The Bundesliga is on hold and the World Cup is upon us. For one Herthaner, the 22nd edition of the World Cup will be particularly special. Goalkeeper Oliver Christensen has been selected for Denmark and will represent our club in Qatar from 20th November. The goalkeeper expressed his excitement about the tournament after the 2-0 home win over Köln: “Who will in the World Cup? Denmark! If that actually happened, we’d have the longest celebration ever back home and I wouldn’t back in Berlin until February!”

Fitness testing on Wednesday and Thursday morning, two focussed training sessions at Schenckendorffplatz and finally a journey to the Wörthersee Cup in Klagenfurt – there has not been a winter break to speak of so far for the Blue-Whites.  Sandro Schwarz is fine with that. The head coach is keen that his team keeps developing. “All in all, we are moving in the right direction as a team without seeming too pleased with ourselves because they are still certain things that we can do better and have to do better. We’ve built a stable base and have developed well, but there is still a way to go,” was the balanced assessment of the head coach speaking to the media after the end of the season.

Marvin Plattenhardt is approaching another landmark – but it’s not to do with his age. His first game back in the new year will be the 30-year-old’s 222nd competitive game for the capital city club, having joined the side in 2014. He has absolutely earned the moniker of a veteran, and last year, in his seventh season he even assumed captaincy of the club. “I can only repeat what I said then – that I’m extremely proud to be captaining Hertha BSC,” said Platte, who has received plenty of praise for his performances from head coach Sandro Schwarz. “Platte is always very clear and supportive within the club, and along with two or three others, really brings the dressing room together. He does it really well and all in his own way,” the coach said.

In the second semi-final of the Wörthersee Cups in Klagenfurt, Sandro Schwarz started with the experienced Philip Sprint between the posts, with both Oliver Christensen and Tjark Ernst away on international duty. In defence was Sonny Ziemer, who also plays for the U23s, alongside Filip Uremović, Lucas Tousart and Maximilian Mittelstädt. Vladimír Darida and Suat Serdar sat in front of the back four. Nader Jindaoui, captain Prince and Chidera Ejuke began in attacking midfield, with Wilfried Kanga the lone striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation.