Hertha Berlin require all three points if they are to stand any chance of moving off the foot of the table when they host Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
The visitors, meanwhile, will be travelling to Germany's capital off the back of a winless streak of six matches.
Match preview
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After losing 5-2 away to their relegation rivals Schalke 04 last Friday, Hertha's 10-year stay in the Bundesliga appears to be at serious risk of coming to an end this season.
Die Alte Dame's chances of returning from Gelsenkirchen with a positive result were dampened by falling two goals behind inside the opening 13 minutes, but Stevan Jovetic provided his side with some hope by pulling one back on the stroke of half time.
However, Simon Terrode quickly restored his side's two-goal cushion after the break, with Marius Bulter scoring his second goal of the game to wrap up a crucial victory for Schalke, before Marco Richter and Marcin Kaminski exchanged strikes late on.
With Hertha two points adrift of Schalke and Stuttgart at the bottom of the table, it was little surprise to see Sandro Schwarz finally relieved of his managerial duties earlier this week, with the former Mainz 05 boss losing 12 of his last 17 league games in charge.
Pal Dardai - who has already coached Hertha on two occasions (between 2015-19 and more briefly in 2021) after spending 14 years at the club during his playing career - has been selected as Schwarz's successor until the end of the season, and he will be hoping to make an immediate impact by beating Werder Bremen at the Olympiastadion this weekend.
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On current form, that prospect does not seem too implausible, with Ole Werner's side seemingly prematurely mentally checking out after enjoying such a strong start to their first season back in the Bundesliga following their promotion last May.
Werder looked on course to be ending their five-match winless streak last time out against Freiburg when Maximilian Philipp broke the deadlock almost immediately after half time, but Christian Streich's side fought back through goals from Roland Sallai and Lucas Holer to condemn Die Werderaner to a sixth defeat in their last nine games.
Courtesy of their excellent early season form, Werder still retain an eight-point cushion ahead of the relegation places; with only six games of the season remaining, that probably means Werder already have enough points on the board in order to survive.
However, Werner will almost certainly be telling his players otherwise and demanding more of the spirit that has taken them this far under his tenure, although the most pressing element within his team to fix is clearly the defensive unit having conceded two or more goals in eight of their last nine matches.
Scoring goals remains their strong suit, though, having scored in each of their last seven outings, so there is every chance that they can pile on the misery for Hertha and blow them away in the capital on Saturday.
Team News
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Hertha will be forced into making at least two changes against Werder, as Filip Uremovic is suspended after receiving his fifth booking of the season against Schalke, while Jovetic suffered a muscle injury late on.
Agustin Rogel is likely to replace Uremovic on the right side of a back three, with Wilfried Kanga set to partner Dodi Lukebakio in attack.
Dardai may seek to make further alterations to Hertha's starting XI in his first game back at the club, with the likes of Suat Serdar, Ivan Sunjic and Jonjoe Kenny all hoping to be called upon.
Werder, meanwhile, may remain without Niclas Fullkrug after the Germany forward missed last weekend's defeat to Freiburg due to a calf issue, but Werner will hope to have his top goalscorer available from the bench at least.
Otherwise, Die Werderaner appear to have no other injury concerns, but Amos Pieper may return to the back line as Werner desperately attempts to improve his side's defensive record.
Hertha Berlin possible starting lineup:
Christensen; Rogel, Kempf, Dardai; Richter, Tousart, Sunjic, Serdar, Plattenhardt; Lukebakio, Kanga
Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:
Pavlenka; Pieper, Veljkovic, Friedl; Weiser, Bittencourt, Gross, Stage, Jung; Ducksch, Philipp
We say: Hertha Berlin 2-2 Werder Bremen
Much will depend on whether Werder are able to select Fullkrug from the start after his recent knock, but the visitors are still capable of scoring goals even without their talismanic figure in attack.
We expect Hertha to provide a reaction after finally making the decision to change their manager earlier this week, with Dardai already boasting a strong connection with the club's fanbase. However, they may fall short of the victory that they so desperately require.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Brett Curtis
