Our next opponents: Readiness and physicality

Position

"Relieved," was probably the most used word by the Hertha players in the Mixed Zone at the Olympic Stadium in describing their mood after the 2-0 win against FC Augsburg. The team under coach Sandro Schwarz overcame their opponents in a tough encounter in driving snow in Berlin. "That was the expected attritional battle," said the Hertha head coach in summing up. Winning was the main thing. How was absolutely irrelevant to them and their fans. "Only the win counts," said Marco Richter who opened the scoring, and talked about a "six-pointer" ahead of the game. FC Augsburg are direct rivals in the relegation battle.

The Berlin team were again under massive pressure. And Hertha were able to stand up to it. Two weeks earlier, they secured their first win of the calendar year after four defeats in succession with a 4-1 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach. It was seen as a sea change. Although it was followed a week later by a emphatic 4-1 defeat away to Borussia Dortmund and again dropping down to seventeenth in the table. However, the performance of the Berliners at BVB was encouraging. "Defeat with potential" was the headline in the Berliner Morgenpost the following day. The Berliner Zeitung wrote about a "missed chance." The Blue and Whites gave the Black and Yellows a tough game with a courageous and energetic performance but they were unable to take their chances particularly after coming back to 2-1 down. "We put up great resistance to a very good opponent and efficiency was the crucial factor," said Sandra Schwarz.

Thanks to the 2-0 win against Augsburg, with the first clean sheet of this year, the team have again left the relegation zone and are now currently fourteenth in the table. Winter signing Tolga Cigerci believes the team are "on the right track" and " have made good progress in the last three or four games."

Personnel

Cigerci (30) returned to Hertha at the end of January 2023 after six and a half years in Turkey (including at Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Basaksehir). The Turkey international born in Lower Saxony previously played for the capital club between 2013 and 2016. Since his return, he is the boss in the Hertha midfield. "It's a huge bonus for us as a group to have somebody like that," said Schwarz in praising the vocal midfield strategist. And Marco Richter is also enthusiastic about his teammate: "Sometimes Tolga slows the game down and sometimes he speeds up. It feels like he's always been a member of the team." In addition to Cigerci, Lucas Tousart and Suat Serdar have recently played alongside him in central midfield. Since changing from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2 system, Schwarz has opted to play Marvin Plattenhardt (left) and Marco Richter (right) on the flanks with the latter scoring a wonder goal in the 2-2 draw against Bayer 04 in the Hinrunde.

Marc Kempf usually plays in the middle of the back three alongside Filip Uremovic and Marton Dardai, son of the Hertha legend Pal Dardai. The defender scored a brilliant goal against Mönchengladbach on his 21st birthday – his first in the Bundesliga. He missed the Augsburg game through injury and was replaced by Agustin Rogel. But Dardai is available for Sunday.

In the last three games, Sandro Schwarz has opted to play a front two of Jessic Ngankam and Florian Niederlechner, who moved to Berlin from FC Augsburg in January of this year and is seen a positive addition just like Cigerci. Talking about the 22-year-old Berlin-born Ngankam, Schwarz values his "physicality in build-up and he again and again holds it all together. His work for the lads is outstanding." Dodi Lukebakio, Hertha's top scorer with nine goals, has only come on as a substitute in recent games but he has shown his class again. Both in the 4-1 win against Mönchengladbach as well as the 2-0 victory against Augsburg, the 25-year-old Belgian rounded off the scoring with his two goals. In Steven Jovetic, another "important initiator in our attacking game" (Schwarz) was again available against Augsburg after a long spell out due to injury.  

Unavailable for the match in Leverkusen are the strikers Wilfried Kanga (rehab training after toe injury), Chidera Ejuke (knee ligament injury) and Kelian Nsona (rehab training after knee operation).

Performers

No team in the Bundesliga has put in as many challenges per game as Hertha Berlin (114). Demonstration of the high intensity and aggression shown by the Berlin team. "We need maximum readiness, activity and physicality on the pitch," said Sandro Schwarz. The coach is optimistic after the last three games. The team looked comfortable in the new 3-5-2 line-up. New signing Tolga Cigerci gives the team a lot of stability in central midfield. Even in the 4-1 defeat in Dortmund, the high pressing game functioned well according to captain Marvin Plattenhardt. The courageous approach to the game with better cover at the back has recently led to the upturn. And up front, Hertha have more options with the duo of Ngankam/Niederlechner working well together and they are no longer exclusively dependent on Dodi Lukebakio.

Problems

Effort and outcome are not always in balance with the Old Lady. Converting chances is unsatisfactory. Hertha have proved to be mostly ineffective, particularly away from home. They have only picked up four points on the road. The sole away win was in Augsburg at the start of September 2022 (2-0). Hertha Berlin have lost their last six away fixtures. One particular weak point: In the 4-1 defeat in Dortmund, the Blue and Whites conceded their seventeenth goal from set pieces. Only Bochum (21) have let in more. Parting company with sporting managing director Fredi Bobic at the end of January also lead to additional disquiet at the capital club.

Prediction

Two wins from their last three matches have given the Berliners confidence in the relegation battle. And to have another clean sheet again after a long time against Augsburg has done Hertha good. The performances have improved and things are looking up. The Blue and Whites want to keep the trend going at the BayArena on Sunday. "We face a challenge in Leverkusen that we will approach humbly but also with confidence," said Sandro Schwarz before adding: "We want to be fully focused from the start of the game and get a result." But even in the event of another away defeat, the Berliners seemed settled enough as a team to be able to maintain their top-flight status in the fourth relegation battle in succession.