In Bundesliga action this weekend, Hertha Berlin will host Stuttgart in a key clash for survival at the Olympiastadion on Sunday evening.
Hertha returned to winning ways last weekend, taking a huge step towards safety with a 1-0 win over Augsburg with their first away victory of the year. Suat Serdar scored the sole goal of the game just after the restart with a clever flick to beat Rafal Gikiewicz at his near post.
Hertha now sit 15th in the Bundesliga standings with 29 points from 30 games. They will look to build on their latest result to pull further clear of the drop zone.
Stuttgart, meanwhile, hit another bump last weekend in their race for survival, as they played out a goalless draw against Mainz. Tiago Tomas had perhaps the biggest chance of the game in the first half but could not beat an inspired Robin Zentner in the Mainz goal.
The visitors sit a place and a point behind their weekend hosts in the league table and will look to leapfrog them with a win on Sunday.
Hertha Berlin vs Stuttgart Head-to-Head
Sunday's game will mark the 40th meeting between Hertha and Stuttgart. The hosts have won 14 of their previous meetings with Stuttgart, while the visitors have won two fewer. There have been 13 draws between the two teams. The two sides last faced off in a league clash earlier this season, which ended 2-2.
Hertha Berlin Form Guide (all competitions): W-L-L-W-L.
Stuttgart Form Guide (all competitions): D-L-D-W-D.
Hertha Berlin vs Stuttgart Team News
Hertha Berlin
The hosts have a fairly lengthy list of absentees ahead of Sunday's game, including Alexander Schwolow, Rune Jarstein, Stefan Jovetic, Myziane Maolida and Lukas Klunter, who are all injured. Marco Ritcher has been suspended and will be absent as well.
Injured: Alexander Schwolow, Rune Jarstein, Stefan Jovetic, Myziane Maolida, Lukas Klunter.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: Marco Ritcher.
Unavailable: None.
Stuttgart
Nikolas Nartey, Silas Katompa Mvumpa, Naouirou Ahamada and Mohamed Sankoh are all injured, while Daniel Didavi is a doubt for the game. Atakan Karazor has tested positive for COVID-19 and is expected to miss out.
Injured: Nikolas Nartey, Silas Katompa Mvumpa, Naouirou Ahamada, Mohamed Sankoh.
Doubtful: Daniel Didavi.
Unavailable: Atakan Karazor.
Suspended: None.
Hertha Berlin vs Stuttgart Predicted XIs
Hertha Berlin (4-1-4-1): Marcel Lotka (GK); Peter Pekarik, Dedryck Boyata, Marc-Oliver Kempf, Marvin Plattenhardt; Suat Serdar, Lucas Tousart, Santiago Ascacibar, Vladimir Darida; Kevin-Prince Boateng; Davie Selke.
Stuttgart Predicted XI (4-3-3): Florian Muller; Pascal Stenzel, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Waldemar Anton, Borna Sosa; Chris Fuhrich, Orel Mangala, Wataru Endo; Tiago Tomas, Omar Marmoush, Sasa Kalajdzic.
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Hertha Berlin vs Stuttgart Prediction
Hertha's latest result ended a run of back-to-back losses, marking just their second win in 2021. Stuttgart, meanwhile, are winless in their last three games but have lost just one of their last six outings.
Both teams are fighting for survival and could play out a draw this weekend.
Prediction: Hertha Berlin 1-1 Stuttgart.