In the race with Gladbach (against Dortmund), Frankfurt (at FC Bayern) and to a lesser extent with Wolfsburg (against Augsburg) it will become clear whether Bayer 04 can join Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig as the fourth German club to hear the Champions League anthem next term – or will it again be the Kadelbach Europa League melody that will be booming out from the PA system at the Bay Arena from September. A brilliant, exciting and emotional final act awaits. Here are 04 top facts on #BSCB04 as a preview.
After 04 wins on the bounce, the Werkself had to settle for one point against Schalke last weekend. It was also the first draw for Bayer 04 since matchday 13 and also the first under coach Peter Bosz. Nevertheless: The Werkself have picked up 13 points from the last five games – the best return in the league. Indeed, the black and red second half of the season stands up to scrutiny: After Bayern Munich and Leipzig, the Werkself are – alo thanks to five away wins (that last happened in 2010/11) – the third best team since the winter break. In the last 16 games, the Bosz Boys have made up nine points on third-placed (at Christmas) Gladbach, four on Wolfsburg and three on Frankfurt. And hopefully there's more to come…
Hertha have not lost any of their last four games (including a 0-0 draw at Frankfurt) and so there will be no shortage of confidence ahead of the dual with the Werkself. That is also necessary from a Berliner point of view. Hertha have only picked up an average of one point in the past 45 top-flight meetings – the club from the capital only have a worst points average against Bayern Munich and Leipzig. The eight defeats for the Blue and Whites in the last eleven meetings with the Black and Reds must be enough to put another wrinkle on the face of the Old Lady. However: The Berlin team have won two of the past three home games against Bayer 04 but two years ago they were on the wrong end of a 6-2 thrashing - also on the last matchday. Moreover: It is already the 04th time that the Werkself have played Hertha on the last day of the season – Bayer 04 came out on top three times. So is a fourth tome on the cards?
The Werkself like final matchdays. That was clear from the last matchday 34 where Bayer 04 won seven of the last eight games – the last defeat on the final game of the season is four years ago (a 2-1 reverse at Frankfurt). And something else crops up looking back through the football annuals: The Werkself quite often have something to play for on the last matchday of the season. We look back at good black and red finales. In 2011/12, Bayer 04 secured fifth place ahead of VfB Stuttgart after a 4-1 victory at Nürnberg and that led to a place in the qualifying rounds of the Europa League. Two years later, the Black and Reds beat Werder Bremen 2-1 to win a race for fourth spot with VfL Wolfsburg to secure qualification for the Champions League play-offs. And last season? Heiko Herrlich's team missed out on qualifying for the Champions League due to a worse goal difference despite winning 3-2 at home to Hannover but the Europa League play-offs were avoided. There is certainly space for another successful final scenario in the 2019 sports almanac...
Since the 1-0 defeat against Gladbach on matchday 18, the Werkself have scored at least one goal in every Bundesliga match. The Bosz team have netted 38 goals along the way. Only Bayern Munich scored more (46). However: The Werkself have the longest continuous run of scoring in Germany's top flight. A large part in that is definitely down to Kai Havertz who heads the Werkself goalscorers list with 16 strikes – ahead of Kevin Volland (14) plus Lucas Alario and Julian Brandt (both on six). The 19-year-old is not only the youngest player in history of the Bundesliga to score 16 goals but also the most successful German striker (along with Marco Reus and Timo Werner). The opener in the game against Schalke was the tenth for the Werkself number 29 – and with each of his goals he has put the Black and Reds in front. Gradually words are running out for the newly crowned Bundesliga Player of the Month for April.
Match information:
Previous meeting; 3-1 (H)
Venue: Olympic Stadium Berlin (74,475 capacity)
Referee: Marco Fritz (Korb)
Weather forecast: 22 degrees, partly cloudy
Live TV broadcaster: Sky
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