16 December 2021, 16:59 | 28 August 2021, 15:29
The Bundesliga fixture, Hertha Berlin vs. Borussia Dortmund, kicks off at 18:30 (GMT+1) on Saturday, December 18, at the Olympiastadion.
Preview Hertha BSC Bundesliga, Dec 18, 2021
Preview With only a single shot on target, Hertha Berlin had no answers to questions FSV Mainz 05 posed as they suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of the 05ers on Tuesday. The South Korean, Lee Jae-sung (19'), put the home side in the lead inside the first twenty minutes at the Opel Arena with a fine header. Minutes shy of the break, Hertha found themselves with a two-goal deficit after a huge slice of luck saw an effort from Alexander Hack (41') deflected into goal. Despite the introduction of Kevin-Prince Boateng right after the break, Hertha Berlin were unable to turn the tide in their favor. Three minutes after his introduction, Berlin were knee-deep in trouble, having seen a clever header from Silvan Widmer (49') hit the back of the net. With a three-goal deficit and time running out on the clock, things went from bad to worse for the visitors after an 18-yard-strike from Jean-Paul Boetius (79') found its way in for the Zero5ers’ 4th goal of the game. After taking a haul of four, Hertha Berlin are in 14th place, with the Bundesliga form: LDDWL. The club has 18 points from 5W, 3D, and 8L. A 4—4—2 formation is expected from Tayfun Korkut, with Stevan Jovetić and Ishak Belfodil in attack on Saturday for this game against the Black and Yellows.
Preview Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga, Dec 18, 2021
Preview Borussia Dortmund swept bottom-placed Greuther Fürth aside with relative ease, having picked up a 3-0 win over the struggling Bundesliga side. A VAR-assisted penalty saw Erling Haaland (33' P.) convert from the spot after his initial effort was blocked off by the flaying arms of Maximilian Bauer. Furth almost found the leveler but were off the mark by inches. Late in the second half, a remarkable header from Haaland (82') left him with his 12th goal of the season, his 53rd goal in 53 games in the Bundesliga. Minutes later, a clever finish by Donyell Malen (89') left Die Schwarzgelben with their third goal of the game at Signal Iduna Park. Dortmund remains in 2nd place with 34 points from 11W, 1D, and 4L, trailing title rivals and first-placed Bayern Munich by six points. Dortmund has picked up 2 points per match in the last five Bundesliga games: WWLDW. A likely win for Marco Rose here would see the numbers improve ahead of the winter break. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Erling Haaland leading the attack is anticipated for this game against Hertha Berlin. Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham is suspended for this game.