The staff
The list of missing players at Hertha BSC remains long. “I’ve never experienced anything like that in my coaching career,” said Felix Magath at the press conference before the relegation second leg in Hamburg about the absences in recent weeks. However, he added: “We have more quality available in the second leg than we had last Thursday.”
In particular, the return of Santiago Ascacibar gave coach Magath confidence. He had a lot of praise for the 25-year-old Argentine: “We were missing a very important mentality player. He was one of the outstanding players in this team and of course he was missing, but we have him back now. And he will be one again play a big role in the game in Hamburg.” Ascacibar missed the first leg defeat because of a yellow card suspension.
Stevan Jovetic and Marco Richter are also fit and ready to play and could provide more offensive power. Because that was exactly what was missing on Thursday evening in the Olympic Stadium. Neither had been in the starting XI there.
The last seeded keeper Marcel Lotka will miss the final for staying up in the league. He suffered a concussion in the defeat in Dortmund on the last day of the season and must be rested. Like in the first leg, Oliver Christensen will probably be in goal for him again.
Out: Alexander Schwolow (muscle injury), Kelian Nsona (torn cruciate ligament), Marton Dardai (thigh problem), Davie Selke (thigh problem), Dong-jun Lee (knee injury), Lukas Klünter (shoulder injury), Marcel Lotka (concussion), Linus Gechter ( Infection)
Form
The form curve for the Berliners points steeply downwards. At the end of the Bundesliga season, they left three chances to stay up in the league and avoid relegation. In the first leg against HSV, Hertha looked pale and completely harmless in the sold-out Olympic Stadium. They only recorded three shots on goal in the 90 minutes plus stoppage time against the second division side.
While many have long since written off the capital club, Magath remains optimistic as usual. The coach simply turns the tables and sees Hamburg in particular under pressure: “We’re out at the moment, so we can only win. (…) Now HSV is the one who has something to lose. The pressure is now on their players but not on us, so we’re in a better position.”
Fredi Bobic also still believes in a good outcome in the final. “The cards are on the table. There’s only this one game left and it’s like a final for us. (…) I’m convinced that the boys will go into the game with a certain amount of anger because they didn’t believe themselves that they could lose the first leg. We received so many blows to the neck, but we always came back. Now it counts,” said the sporting director.
The opponent
“We only conceded defeat against a very strong HSV through a lucky goal”, Felix Magath analyzed the performance of the Hanseatic League in the first leg. In fact, the guests in the Olympic Stadium also had problems on the offensive and only managed to score the opening goal through an unfortunate cross.
In all other respects, however, the second division was the significantly better team. They controlled the game, had more possession and won more tackles. In front of their home crowd, they are going into the game on Monday evening as favorites and do not want to be unsettled by this reversed pressure situation. “Pressure is a privilege. We work to survive in such situations,” HSV coach Tim Walter countered Felix Magath’s attempt to create uncertainty among the North Germans.
Hertha in focus
In addition to Santiago Ascacibar, Magath has another mental trump card ready for the season finale in Hamburg: Kevin-Prince Boateng. On Thursday evening, the “Prince” was still a bench press. The reason for this is said to have been a dispute in training between the coach and Boateng. In the second leg, the native of Berlin should support the team again on the pitch. “He’s a final player and knows how it’s done. Of course the team needs him in the final,” said Magath.
And another Herthaner could also be in focus in Hamburg when it comes to goal danger. “Our greatest weapon is when Plattenhardt executes a set piece,” said the coach. With his sharp and precise crosses in corners and free-kicks, the left-back is supposed to create scoring chances that the Berliners cannot create from the game. That had worked again and again in the final phase of the season.
particularities
Not only does a large part of football Germany suspect Hertha after the final whistle on Monday evening in the 2nd Bundesliga, but also the bookmakers do not believe that Hertha will win in Hamburg. But maybe the Berliners can still draw some hope from last year’s relegation.
Back then, the first division team Cologne lost the first leg against the second division team Kiel 0:1 in front of their home crowd and were clearly inferior to the north Germans in terms of performance. At the time, many believed that the Rhinelanders would be relegated, but in the second leg they suddenly appeared as if they had been changed and secured relegation with a clear 5-1 away win.
Felix Magath also felt reminded of his experiences in the European Cup in the current situation. “There have been many examples where you couldn’t play the first game successfully, but you could still make up for it in the second leg,” said the 68-year-old hopefully.
Broadcast: rbbUM6, May 22, 2022, 6 p.m
Source: rbb