Borussia Dortmund host Hertha Berlin at the Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday in the first leg of the DFB Pokal in a clash both of the teams will be hoping takes them towards winning a silverware this season.
Borussia Dortmund are having an average season, and are nothing close to their best. They currently sit fourth on the Bundesliga rankings and are some way off challenging Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title; the DFB Pokal is a more realistic chance for them to win a cup this season, so they will be taking this very serious.
Their last match was against RB Leipzig in the league last weekend, which they won after a brilliant strike by Aubameyang and a vintage defensive display to keep the opposition attack at bay. RB Leipzig are one of the overachieving teams in the Bundesliga this season and have surpassed the expectations of a lot of people by their displays and results (they currently occupy the second position on the log, just four points behind Bayern Munich); so a win against them would have boosted the Thomas Tuchel side some. The home side have won nine matches, drawn seven and lost three so far this season.
Hertha Berlin are having a decent season by their standards and will be hoping to achieve something tangible for their efforts at the end of the season. They currently occupy sixth position which is the last European place on the table. They are just two points from the second position, so they have a very realistic chance of being in the Europa league at the very least next season. Winning the DFB Pokal would be a great achievement for them and winning the fixture on Wednesday will be very key to that. Their last match was against Ingolstadt last weekend and they won by a lone goal so they will be going into this one riding on the positive result. Their away record this season has been very sketchy as they have only only won two matches out of ten, so going to the Signa Iduna to get a win could be a very tough mission for them.
The most significant point going into this fixture is the fact that Borussia Dortmund are still unbeaten at home this season while Hertha Berlin have one of the worst away records in the league this season. Dortmund are very difficult to play against at the Signa Iduna and this could have a key influence on the outcome of the meeting. Hertha Berlin have only beaten Dortmund three times at the Signa Iduna in their last eighteen meetings, with the yellow shirts winning nine and drawing six; their last meeting at the stadium ended in a 1-1 draw.
Borussia Dortmund are clear favourites, but Hertha Berlin will definitely not make it easy for them. Berlin will be hoping to get an away draw at least, so that they can go into the second leg in a strong position. Borussia dortmund will most likely win this, but a bet on both teams scoring will also be a smart move.