Preparations begin for Leipzig

The start of a new week of training likely causes conflicting feelings amongst Hertha fans. A home game on the weekend is reason to get excited about the upcoming home support, while away games bring a sense of frustration at not having been able to deliver the same standard of performance. This time, with a home game against RB Leipzig coming up (08.04.23, 18:30 CEST), the mood is different, however. Hertha are able to draw confidence from what was a strong showing away in Freiburg last time out (1-1). “It was important for us to deliver a strong performance on the road, like we have done at home, in order to take something from the game. We can build on this,” Sandro Schwarz said, calling it a “solid and focused” performance. “The key will be to bring this tactical discipline in our upcoming eight games, no matter if home or away!”

Ejuke and Nsona complete individual sessions

Hertha prepare to face another team on course to qualify for Europe this season when they welcome Leipzig this weekend. “Leipzig are a tough opponent, both as a team and on an individual level. We will need to be physical, quick and show our quality on the ball. That’s what we need to focus on in our video and training sessions,” Schwarz said. The team began preparations on Tuesday afternoon with a 90-minute session at the Schenckendorffplatz that featured plenty of passing and game-centric drills. Chidera Ejuke training individually with fitness coach Hendrik Vieth, and was also able to get some touches in on the ball. Kélian Nsona also completed an individual session. Missing from training today were Jean-Paul Boëtius (rehab) and Steven Jovetić (calf), as well as Tim Goller, Pascal Klemens, Julian Eitschberger and Ibrahim Maza, who had all featured for the U19s on the weekend.

The attackers stayed out on the pitch to work on their shooting, with their teammates signing autographs for the fans in attendance. “We can feel the support from the fans, which feels great to us,” commented Schwarz, who is looking forward to having a home game on the weekend. “”I’m assuming that the stadium will be full and the Ostkurve will be behind us once again, which we’re all looking forward to – we can’t wait for kick off!”