After emotional weeks, the preliminary highlight of the season is coming up: the cup quarter-final against Kaiserslautern in a full Olympic Stadium. But we can’t expect it to be a spectacle.
Pal Dardai was absent from the press conference before the cup quarter-final against 1. FC Kaiserslautern due to a flu-like effect. Hertha sports director Benny Weber gave the all-clear: “Pal will be there on Wednesday. To be honest, this is a precautionary measure today. He will certainly be back on the training pitch tomorrow.”
In the end, the team will be able to use any outside help. “We don’t expect much from this game,” said assistant coach Tamas Bodog, “only one thing: that we advance.”
Five facts about the game:
All 74,000 tickets for the game are sold out. This makes it Hertha BSC’s first sold-out game at the Olympic Stadium this season. Hertha won the first duel between the two teams in the league 2-1 in Kaiserslautern in December. Florian Niederlechner even made it into the vote for goal of the month with his overhead kick. Hertha’s route to the quarter-finals: 5-0 at Carl Zeiss Jena, 3-0 at home against Mainz and then an 8-6 penalty shootout against Hamburger SV Kaiserslautern continued in the First round at RW Koblenz with 5:0, followed by victories against Cologne (3:2) and Nuremberg (2:0). The game is the only one in the quarter-final round that is not shown on free TV. You can hear the game in full length on rbb24 Inforadio and also on rbb24.de.
Hertha BSC will have to tick off promotion
Hertha BSC’s 1:3 defeat at Wehen Wiesbaden revealed that the Berliners continue to have major problems despite their individual class. Problems that probably can’t be solved this season. By Marc Schwitzkymore
That moves Hertha
The year is less than a month old on Wednesday and Hertha has already experienced the complete psychological rollercoaster. After the shock and collective sadness surrounding the death of Kay Bernstein, the emotional highlight of the season will be celebrated two weeks later: the first cup quarter-final in eight years. In the Olympic Stadium, which was sold out for the first time this season. Actually everything is arranged. But is the team ready?
The problem: Hertha’s performance in the 3-1 defeat in Wiesbaden was at times shocking. In particular, Dardai can’t seem to get the desolate defensive performance and counterattack susceptibility out of his men’s system. Time and again it is individual mistakes that torpedo Hertha’s sometimes pleasant offensive game. On Sunday there was a longer speech from the coaching team to the team.
There had been no defeat in ten competitive games. Was Wiesbaden just a blip?
The opponent check
The past few weeks have also been turbulent for Kaiserlautern. They just have a different outcome for now. Before the last matchday, FCK lost seven league games in a row. Coach Dirk Schuster has since been succeeded by Dimitrios Grammozis. Although he won the cup game against Nuremberg, he lost all three games in the league.
Things got particularly uncomfortable for Grammozis before the Schalke game. First, FCK legend Miroslav Klose, who is popular with fans, explained in an interview that he would have liked to be Dirk Schuster’s successor. Then a message was spread via WhatsApp saying that there was supposedly a revolt against the coach in the team. Grammozis spoke of character assassination. Managing director Thomas Hengen was forced to deny the false reports.
And how did the team react? With a 4-1 humiliation for Grammozis’ former club Schalke 04. Three winter signings (Ronstadt, Kaloc and Puchacz) were in the starting line-up. Joker and Darmstadt loanee Stojilkovic headed in to make it 3-0. Captain and offensive engine Marlon Ritter took Schalke’s control center Paul Seguin into man coverage and took the air to breathe. This is not how a team plays that no longer follows its coach.
This is how Hertha could play
A lot of things these days revolve around the return of the blue and white life insurance company Fabian Reese. He will be there. Even if only as an option from the bank. “Fabi will give the team the help it needs,” says assistant coach Bodog. “If only for five minutes, then only for five minutes. If for half an hour, then for half an hour. But he will make the difference between these two teams.” If, according to the coaching staff, five minutes are enough to decide the game, then that gives a deep insight into how important Reese is for Hertha.
Florian Niederlechner, who is banned from the league, is also said to be a top performer. The 33-year-old had scored six goals in five games before his red card suspension. He will probably be back in the team for Aymen Barkok. Barkok showed good signs against Wiesbaden and could be a lot of fun in the ten position this season. Against Wiesbaden, Dardai tried Zeefuik on the wing, which didn’t work at all. Marten Winkler came into the team at halftime to replace him. The 21-year-old could also start against Lautern.
Hertha’s possible starting eleven
Ernst – Kenny, Leistner, Kempf, Karbownik – Bouchalakis, M. Dardai – Winkler, Niederlechner, Scherhant – Tabakovic
Prognosis
Although the most important game of the season to date is coming up, there will probably be no spectacle like the one against HSV. The Old Lady currently doesn’t have the offensive firepower for that. Dardai will teach the team to initially be stable defensively. If it’s 0-0 by the 83rd minute, Reese’s substitution will make the difference.
This is what the rbb|24 author predicts: Hertha narrowly won 2-1 in extra time.
Broadcast: rbb24, January 29, 2024, 1:00 p.m