Hertha still have to work to do against second-bottom Bielefeld
HERTHA Berlin’s resurgence will be tested at a desperate Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday, with both sides needing the points to ease their Bundesliga relegation worries.
The visitors from the capital are in a much better position after two wins in a row and boast a four-point cushion over Stuttgart in the relegation play-off spot. Bielefeld sit six points adrift of absolute safety in an automatic relegation place with just three matchdays left.
With Bayern Munich having already wrapped up their 10th straight title, many Bundesliga fans are focusing on who will join Greuther F rth in dropping down to the second tier.
Hertha have been revived by veteran coach Felix Magath, but they have still produced poor performances during his short reign - notably the 4-1 home defeat by city rivals Union Berlin.
“We mustn’t let up now, we’ve not achieved anything yet,” midfielder Marco Richter told the Hertha website.
“Our complete and utter focus is on Bielefeld. We want to carry on our good form on Saturday.” Richter is available again after missing the 2-0 win over Stuttgart last weekend with suspension. The victory over their relegation rivals could prove to be a pivotal moment and Hertha will hope their experiences from one drop- one dogfight will prove invaluable in another at Bielefeld.
The hosts have had a tough time in their second season in the German top flight, with just 24 goals scored the lowest tally in the league.
They are winless in eight games, a run which includes seven defeats.
Hertha look big favourites but Stuttgart will hope the pair cancel each other out and the 2007 champions can profit by beating Wolfsburg at home.
At the other end of the table, the race for the top four is more open than it looked to be just a few weeks ago. RB Leipig’s surprise 2-1 home defeat by Union last weekend means the Berliners are not out of the running and fourth-placed Leip ig are not as assured of Champions League football next season as it may have looked.
They have another option by winning the Europa League but Domenico Tedesco will still want full points at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Monday, when third-placed Bayer Leverkusen also host Eintracht Frankfurt looking to edge closer to Champions League qualification.
Fifth-placed Freiburg, two points behind Leip ig and three behind Leverkusen, visit Hoffenheim in Saturday’s late game with Union - in sixth and four points adrift of the fourth and final Champions League berth - welcoming F rth on Friday.