Hertha Berlin

Sandro Schwarz made one change to the team that started the home game against Leverkusen last weekend, with Jean-Paul Böetius starting in the place of Suat Serdar, who missed out through illness. Davie Selke also missed out through illness, while the game came too early for Tjark Ernst, who had been working individually from the start of the week. As a result, Robert Kwasigroch was on the Hertha bench for the first time this season. Stevan Jovetić returned to the squad after a two game absence.

Sometimes talking post-match is about finding words when words are hard to find. This was the case after the game on Friday night against Mainz, as Hertha conceded late in injury time to draw the game 1-1. But, despite the finish to the game, all in all it was not too bad a performance. “We were so close to getting a win. In games like these we have to keep competing in challenges right until the end of the game so that the second balls do not fall to our opponent,” stated Jean-Paul Boëtius. Marvin Plattenhardt, meanwhile, explained his disappointment: “The late equaliser is obviously extremely hard to take. We didn’t have a hold of the game in the second half and lost the ball a lot when playing it forward.” herthabsc.com has summarised the initial reaction to the game against Mainz.

On the 14th November, Bundesliga football will grind to a temporary halt. There will be no action in the German top flight, as well as other international leagues, due to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. There are still eight matchdays to go until then, and one more international break, the last before the world cup – in which eight Herthaner are involved..

Bayern Munich defeated Hertha Berlin 3-2 away in the Bundesliga, winning their 4th consecutive win, and...

Hertha still have four more Bundesliga games to play in 2022 before they take part in a tournament in Klagenfurt and three further friendlies during the break for the World Cup. It is already known when the Blue and Whites will carry on their Bundesliga campaign: On January 21^st (Saturday 15:30 CET) our lads travel to VfL Bochum. On Thursday, the timings and dates for three further Bundesliga fixtures were released (matchdays 17-19).

Head coach Sandro Schwarz made one change to the starting eleven that played in the home win against Schalke five days ago for the game in Bremen. The team maintained a 4-4-2 shape, with Marco Richter coming in for Chidera Ejuke. After almost a month out, Filip Uremović returned to the squad, as did Derry Scherhant. Márton Dárdai missed out with injury. The hosts’ back five included two former Hertha players in the form of Niklas Stark and Mitchell Weiser.

To concede a late goal is always frustrating, especially when it decides the outcome of the game. The reaction of the players when speaking about the game in the face of a late 1-0 loss against Werder Bremen reflects this. “I’m fuming,” said Marvin Plattenhardt, making his feelings known, “Both teams fought hard and dug in. There weren’t clear chances for either side. Really it should’ve finished 0-0.” Marco Richter was also critical of the way the team played, but was also already looking ahead to the game against Bayern (05.11.22, 15:30 CET). “We were just not good enough, which is down to us. Still, we can’t be down for too long and have to keep our heads up. Then, next week we go again.” herthabsc.com has the initial reaction to the loss in Bremen.

Every year the same questions remains ahead of the clash with Bayern whether it is the hardest or the easiest home game of the season. Whatever the answer, it was clear to see that there was plenty of enthusiasm and anticipation ahead of the game in the Blue-White camp, from the players, coaches and fans. Hertha host Bayern on Saturday (05.11.22, 15:30 CET), in front of a likely sell-out crowd. Sandro Schwarz has already turned his attention to Hertha’s plan of attack for this game after the painfully close 1-0 defeat in Bremen. “We can’t allow ourselves to say: ‘Oh no, now we are up against Bayern!’ We all know the quality that they have. However, we have to focus on ourselves and have the determination on the day to want to win every challenge,” explained Hertha’s head coach. The 44-year-old got stuck straight into his plan to do just that with his players on Monday.

Head coach Sandro Schwarz has been in Berlin since the summer, but can now look forward to a momentous first as his side prepares to welcome FC Bayern München to the Olympiastadion on Saturday (05/11/22, 15:30 CET) – a full house! A total of 74,667 tickets have been sold for the match. “The atmosphere at our previous home games was already incredible. We saw the impact the support from the Ostkurve can have on the players when Willy [Kanga] scored the winner against Schalke. The more I talk about it, the more excited I get,” Schwarz said during the pre-match press conference. His side will face a tough challenge in the form of the reigning champions. “We know how good they are. It will be important for us to keep our shape and have the right mentality in order to deliver a strong defensive performance, while also being aggressive and clinical,” he added. Read on for a summary of all the key quotes from today’s press conference.