Dortmund’s hope to end Bayern’s domination in Bundesliga is simply out of reach now after their defeat in Der Klassiker. The only mission left is to finish as runner up once again. This weekend Jadon Sancho and Co will be taking on Hertha Berlin in one of the most anticipated matches on matchday 30. Both teams are on the positive trend, especially the visitor’s side which has been unbeaten with three victories out of four games.
Both teams’ previous matches
The Yellows and Whites enjoyed their massive 6-1 win over Paderborn last week. Jadon Sancho was the star of the game with his hattrick. The other three goals were scored by Thorgan Hazard, Achraf Hakimi and Marcel Schmelzer. Their opponent only managed to bag a goal by Uwe Hunemeier’s penalty.
Hertha under Bruno Labbadia has turned into a daunting team and they continued their terrific form last week when they thumped Ausgburg 2-0 at home. The Dutch youngster Javairo Dilrosun took the lead at the first half then the Polish international Krystoff Piatek doubled the lead before the final whistle.
Possible tactics
Lucien Favre will undoubtedly deploy the same 3-4-3 formation which has been very effective in the defense and offence. Dortmund have all they need in the squad with lines of young and talented players, experienced as well as versatile ones. However, their captain, Marco Reus, is still on the sideline along with Mahmoud Dahoud and Dan Axel Zagadou.
Meanwhile, Bruno Labbadia is in favour of 4-4-2 formation which can transform to 4-2-3-1. Vedad Ibisevic will still be the first choice at the front. Krystof Piatek could be if the Bosnia striker is not in his peak form. Either of them is likely to get support from Javairo Dilrosun, who scored one last week, Maximillian Mittelstadt and Dude Lukebakio on both flanks. Vladimir Darida provides more option on the bench when the team needs more midfielder with defensive contribution as well as the ability to build up a counter attack with long balls.
Players to watch
In Dortmund this season, the England international Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland are on the spotlights. The former one has netted seventeen goals plus made sixteen assists while the latter one has scored ten goals and one assist.
In Labbadia’s Hertha, their current top performers are Vedad Ibisevic, the main striker, the Serbia Marco Grujic and Derdyck Boyata. Some other notable names to watch are Vladimir Darida and AC Milan loanee, Krystof Piatek. Unfortunately, Matheus Cunha will be ruled out along with Mariusz Wolf, Karim Rekik and Santiago Ascacibar.
Dortmund vs Hertha Prediction
The battle for European competition gets underway for them with each of their own target. Hertha, in fact, are in need of more points to reduce their gap from Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim on the table. All in all, this outing ensures an entertaining clash as both sides have had convincing results since the Bundesliga resumed. A draw of a narrow win for the host is seemingly more probable.
Betting odds
In spite of their similar trend, Lucien Favre’s men are considered as the clear favourite by the punters. They are projected to win a lot higher at 1.34 than Hertha whose win market is only at 7.90. The odds for the draw result are at 5.20.
