Friday nights Bundesliga clash at the Olympiastadion between Hertha Berlin and Schalke could have big ramifications on both team’s ambitions.
The team from the German capital have improved since the appointment of former Die Mannschaft boss and legend Jurgen Klinsmann as head coach. In fact, they head into this clash on the back of three wins and just one defeat from their last five Bundesliga outings.
A 2-1 win at Wolfsburg in their last league outing moved Hertha seven points clear of the relegation zone. They will now be looking up rather than down at the table. However, the home side will know that they cannot afford a poor run of results that will suck them back into trouble.
If Hertha are to move up the table in the near future, then the team from the capital need to start picking up wins on home soil. A record of one win in their last five Bundesliga matches at the Olympiastadion is a poor one.
The home side will also need to improve their record against Schalke, as they have lost four of the last six meetings with the visitors, winning just once in the process.
Let's get to work ⚒️#S04 pic.twitter.com/gA23nJ1OLE— FC Schalke 04 (@s04_en) January 28, 2020
Let's get to work ⚒️#S04 pic.twitter.com/gA23nJ1OLE
Schalke’s ambitions are much different to Hertha’s, as David Wagner’s team are just three points adrift of the Champions League spots in the German top-flight.
The visitor's recent form has been a mixed bag. However, a 5-0 hammering at champions Bayern Munich last time out ended a four-game unbeaten run in the Bundesliga for the team from Gelsenkirchen. The defeat was just a small blip in what has been a solid debut campaign in the Bundesliga for former Huddersfield head coach Wagner.
The visitors have struggled for away points of late, taking just one point from their last three Bundesliga games on their travels.
Forebet predicts that Schalke will strengthen their chances of moving into the Champions League spots by recording a win in a high-scoring clash.