Can Hertha Stop the Bayern Juggernaut?
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Having thrashed Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday night, Bayern Munich travel to the German capital for a Bundesliga match against Hertha Berlin. There is much to play for in this game as Bayern look to extend their lead at the top of the table and Hertha aim to stay in contention for a Champions League qualifying place.
Bayern manager, Carlo Ancelotti, will be thrilled with the way his team played in the 5-1 victory over Arsenal in mid-week, especially as things were not looking good at half-time, with score level at 1-1. A tremendous spell of attacking football after the break saw Bayern open a huge lead, which should be enough to see them qualify for the quarter-finals.
In the Bundesliga, Bayern have been in good form since the start of December and their nine wins and one draw has seen them pull away at the top of the table. That’s not to say the defending champions have found wins easy to come by and late goals have been required to win games. In the match at Darmstadt and more recently the game at Freiburg, Bayern have needed a late goal to win the game.
Bayern have been picking up plenty of points on their travels this season, having won their previous five Bundesliga games on the road. Their only defeat away from home has come at Borussia Dortmund.
Hertha Berlin will be very happy to have this match at the Olympiastadion and not away from home. Pal Dardai’s team have played four of their last five games in all competitions away from home and lost all of them. Sandwiched in-between those four games was one home Bundesliga match, which Hertha won 1-0 against Ingolstadt. So, although they are playing the league leaders, it will come as a relief this match is at home.
Hertha have been enjoying their football in the Olympiastadion of late and have won eight of their last nine home Bundesliga games. Scoring goals has not been a problem during this period and Hertha have netted 16 times in those nine games, at an average of 1.77 per game and will fancy their chances of scoring against a Bayern team who have kept just two clean sheets in their previous eight away Bundesliga matches. The main problem facing Hertha could be psychological, as they have lost their last eleven games straight against Bayern in all competitions, which is a very poor record and if they concede the first goal in this game, it could become a difficult afternoon.
Bayern are clearly the form team going into this match and will be full of confidence following their big Champions League victory. Hertha have struggled to get going in 2017 but being at home should give them a bit of a lift for this match. Expect Bayern to come away with maximum points but it won’t be easy and the winning margin may not be more than a single goal. An away win, with both teams scoring is also a distinct possibility.
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