Hertha Berlin vs Werder Bremen Preview
Watch Hertha Berlin vs Werder Bremen preview, as both clubs meet on a Bundesliga league as Hertha Berlin host Werder Bremen.
Die Alte Dame’s chances of returning from Gelsenkirchen with a positive result were dampened by falling two goals behind inside the opening 13 minutes, but Stevan Jovetic provided his side with some hope by pulling one back on the stroke of half time.
However, Simon Terrode quickly restored his side’s two-goal cushion after the break, with Marius Bulter scoring his second goal of the game to wrap up a crucial victory for Schalke, before Marco Richter and Marcin Kaminski exchanged strikes late on.
With Hertha two points adrift of Schalke and Stuttgart at the bottom of the table, it was little surprise to see Sandro Schwarz finally relieved of his managerial duties earlier this week, with the former Mainz 05 boss losing 12 of his last 17 league games in charge.
Pal Dardai – who has already coached Hertha on two occasions (between 2015-19 and more briefly in 2021) after spending 14 years at the club during his playing career – has been selected as Schwarz’s successor until the end of the season, and he will be hoping to make an immediate impact by beating Werder Bremen at the Olympiastadion this weekend.
Team news and Injury
Hertha will be forced into making at least two changes against Werder, as Filip Uremovic is suspended after receiving his fifth booking of the season against Schalke, while Jovetic suffered a muscle injury late on.
Agustin Rogel is likely to replace Uremovic on the right side of a back three, with Wilfried Kanga set to partner Dodi Lukebakio in attack.
Dardai may seek to make further alterations to Hertha’s starting XI in his first game back at the club, with the likes of Suat Serdar, Ivan Sunjic and Jonjoe Kenny all hoping to be called upon.
Werder, meanwhile, may remain without Niclas Fullkrug after the Germany forward missed last weekend’s defeat to Freiburg due to a calf issue, but Werner will hope to have his top goalscorer available from the bench at least.
Otherwise, Die Werderaner appear to have no other injury concerns, but Amos Pieper may return to the back line as Werner desperately attempts to improve his side’s defensive record.
Hertha Berlin vs Werder Bremen Head-to-head stats
Werder Bremen have a good recent record against Hertha Berlin and have won 23 of the last 42 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Hertha Berlin’s nine victories.
Hertha Berlin have won only one of their last 16 matches against Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga, with their previous victory coming by a 4-1 margin in 2020. Hertha Berlin have suffered a total of 38 defeats against Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga – they only have a worse record against Bayern Munich in the competition.
Hertha Berlin have picked up only 22 points from their 28 games in the Bundesliga this season – their worst record since the 2009-10 campaign. Hertha Berlin have conceded 33 goals in the Bundesliga in 2023 – the worst record of any side in the competition.
Berlin vs Bremen Prediction
It will depend on whether Werder are able to select Fullkrug from the start after his recent knock, but the visitors are still capable of scoring goals even without their talismanic figure in attack.
We expect Hertha to provide a reaction after finally making the decision to change their manager earlier this week, with Dardai already boasting a strong connection with the club’s fanbase. However, they may fall short of the victory that they so desperately require.
