Will Bayern defeat the Big City Club?
Of course it is painful for FC Bayern to sit in front of the TV and watch their opponents play football in the last 16 of the DFB Cup. But it has probably been worse for their upcoming opponents. Hertha BSC has been eliminated from the competition after a poor performance in the derby against Union Berlin.
So Bayern will be able to take to the pitch in the capital on Sunday rested, and in doing so the league leaders will be looking to extend their lead at the top of the away table. The Munich side have picked up 22 points away from home. And that is not a bad omen, because in 66 percent of all seasons, the best away team also ended up as German champions.
Their rivals in the top flight can only dream of such figures, including, of course, the Big City Club from Berlin. That’s why you don’t have to be a great prophet to predict a clear away win in the duel between Hertha and Bayern.
The big Hertha blues reign in the capital, with the admonishers who only shook their heads after the signing of Tayfun Korkut now having every reason to see themselves in the right. We think the four-point cushion on the relegation zone could shrink this weekend, because for us a tip on an away win in the duel between Hertha and Bayern is without alternative.
Hertha – Statistics & current form
In general, a lot of money is paid in the Bundesliga. But when you see what Hertha BSC has pumped into the team in recent years, the return is extremely manageable. The attack on the Champions League remains absent and this season is only about damage limitation, namely to stay in the league at all costs.
Bad derby defeat in the Cup
A blind hen also finds a grain of corn once in a while and it is becoming increasingly clear that the two wins against Dortmund and Bielefeld, the only two victories in the last eleven games, probably have more to do with a weaker day on the part of the opposition than with a good performance by the Berliners. At the moment, we would pretty much give odds on a Berlin win a wide berth in any game, and especially in the match between Hertha and Bayern.
How you can almost completely sleep through the first half in a cup match against your local rivals is beyond comprehension. After 50 minutes, Hertha were 2-0 down against Union in their own stadium and were only allowed to hope again thanks to an own goal. After 1:3, the game was decided. Suat Serdar’s late goal in injury time did nothing to change that.
There is great hope that Stevan Jovetic has finally recovered from his calf injury and is thus at least once again an option for the squad. In attack, however, Ishak Belfodil or Davie Selke are likely to play from the start. In terms of personnel, the overall situation looks good. With Rune Jarstein, Jordan Torunarigha and Fredrik Björkan, there are only three absentees.
Predicted line-up of Hertha:
Schwolow – Klünter, Stark, Boyata, Mittelstädt – Ascacibar, Darida, Richter, Serdar – Belfodil, Maolida – Coach: Korkut
Last matches played by Hertha:
DFB Cup
01/19 2022 – Hertha Berlin 2 – 3 Union Berlin
1st Bundesliga
01/15 2022 – Vfl Wolfsburg 0 – 0 Hertha Berlin
01/09 2022 – Hertha Berlin 1 – 3 1. FC Köln
12/18 2021 – Hertha Berlin 3 – 2 Borussia Dortmund
12/14 2021 – Mainz 05 4 – 0 Hertha Berlin
Bayern – Statistics & current form
The Bavarians stumble from time to time, but overall it looks very confident what the record champion delivers again this year on the way to the next championship. This season, the Munich team has only failed to win five of its 28 games. However, they have also lost three times to their new fearsome opponents Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Bayern in a goal frenzy
Hertha should not prove to be a stumbling block, as FCB won eight of their last nine games and only lost to the Foals earlier this year with a host of young talent. With a full squad, this defeat would probably not have happened to the Munich team. Therefore, we maintain that the prediction in the duel between Hertha and Bayern must be an away win.
When the Bavarians have only played with their best line-up, they have recently won 5:0 in Stuttgart, 4:0 against Wolfsburg and 4:0 in Cologne. Robert Lewandowski alone has scored two more goals this season than all the Hertha players put together. In addition, Julian Nagelsmann has never lost to the old lady in the Bundesliga with Hoffenheim, Leipzig and Bayern.
During the week, the all-clear was given again in terms of personnel. Lucas Hernandez, Dayot Upamecano and Leroy Sane were able to return to full fitness after their quarantine and should all be in the starting eleven on Sunday. Leon Goretzka (patella tendon), Alphonso Davies (heart muscle inflammation) as well as Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting and Bouna Sarr, who are both in the round of 16 at the Africa Cup, will continue to be absent.
Predicted Bayern line-up:
Neuer – Pavard, Upamecano, Süle, Hernandez – Kimmich, Tolisso – Gnabry, Müller, Sane – Lewandowski – Coach: Nagelsmann
Last matches played by Bayern:
1st Bundesliga
01/15 2022 – 1. FC Köln 0 – 4 Bayern Munich
01/07 2022 – Bayern Munich 1 – 2 Borussia Mönchengladbach
12/17 2021 – Bayern Munich 4 – 0 Vfl Wolfsburg
12/14 2021 – VfB Stuttgart 0 – 5 Bayern Munich
12/11 2021 – Bayern Munich 2 – 1 Mainz 05
Hertha – Bayern Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
Hertha BSC vs Bayern Munich, this is basically a big game in Germany. In total, the two teams have faced each other in 80 competitive matches. The capital’s track record is manageable. After all, Bayern are clearly ahead in the direct comparison with 47:12. At least, from Berlin’s point of view, there have been 21 draws.
In the Bundesliga, Bayern recently won five matches and drew one. In the first leg, the Berliners suffered a heavy defeat at the Allianz Arena. The old lady was chased off the pitch with a 5-0 defeat. Once again, Robert Lewandowski was almost single-handedly responsible for the victory with three goals. Thomas Müller and Jamal Musiala were the other scorers.
Hertha – Bayern tip
Hertha already have big problems. Things are not right in many parts of the team. So they really don’t need Bayern coming over. The Berliners are currently going through a serious crisis and have only won two of their last eleven competitive games. The supporters particularly resent the dispassionate defeat in the DFB Cup against city rivals Union.
Bayern, on the other hand, are already rushing from victory to victory when they are not fielding players from the second team and the youth section. They have won eight of their last nine games.
The first leg was lavish for the Berliners, with five goals conceded. Most recently, Bayern have won twice with 4-0 and once with 5-0. Therefore, there could be a rude awakening for the old lady on Sunday as well. We have therefore decided to play the betting odds on a handicap win (-2.5) for the Munich team in the Hertha vs Bayern match, optionally with one or two Lewandowski goals.
