Hertha v Bayern: Guardiola's men on brink of title

Pep Guardiola's men sit seven points clear of closest challenger Borussia Dortmund at the summit – stretching that lead to 10 with three matches to go will see them become the first side to win four German titles in succession.

Published : Apr 22, 2016 18:00 IST , Berlin

Bayern Munich has won the last three Bundesliga titles.
Bayern Munich has won the last three Bundesliga titles.
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Bayern Munich has won the last three Bundesliga titles.

Bayern Munich could wrap up the Bundesliga title with victory at Hertha Berlin on Saturday and will be looking to capitalise on its host's DFB-Pokal disappointment.

Pep Guardiola's men sit seven points clear of closest challenger Borussia Dortmund at the summit – stretching that lead to 10 with three matches to go will see them become the first side to win four German titles in succession. Dortmund visits Stuttgart at the same time as Bayern takes on Hertha, meaning fans of Die Roten will have their attentions split between events at Olympiastadion and Mercedes-Benz Arena.

For Bayern, who tied Manuel Neuer down to a new five-year contract this week, the match comes on the back of a 2-0 victory over Werder Bremen that sealed its progression to the DFB-Pokal final and kept treble hopes alive.

Hertha, meanwhile, lost 3-0 at home to Dortmund to end its hopes of cup glory and leave it battling to cling on to a place in the top four. Pal Dardai's men are four points clear of Borussia Mönchengladbach in the last Champions League qualifying berth, but are without a win in three league matches.

"Saturday is the next challenge in front of a full house," Dardai said at a news conference. "We will try to get the team fresh. We tried to impose ourselves on the game [against Dortmund] but they were too good, too fast for us. Maybe we'll cope better in future with the experience gained from such situations."

"It would be nice to keep hold of fourth place, but it's going to be hard work. Bayern's chance of clinching the title is not in my thoughts, I deal with my boys. We will do anything to steal a point."

Stealing a point against Bayern is not something Hertha has become accustomed to over the years, having won just one of its last 24 league meetings, losing 18 of the remaining 23.

Bayern has lost just one away fixture this season and is unbeaten in eight on the road, but Hertha boasts an impressive home record and has avoided defeat in its last 10 matches at Olympiastadion.

Dardai is expected to make a number of changes to the side that lost to Dortmund, while Philipp Lahm is aiming for his 200th victory in a Bayern shirt.

Guardiola's men won the reverse fixture 2-0 in November, with Thomas Muller and Kingsley Coman netting first-half goals.

 

Key Opta Stats

- Bayern Munich lifted the title after beating Hertha Berlin 3-1 on matchday 27 of 2013-14 – the earliest a side has ever been crowned champion. It also won the league in Berlin back in 2010 and was mathematically confirmed as last year's victors one day after its 1-0 victory over Hertha.
- Bayern has 78 points so far (same as 2013-14) – only one side in Bundesliga history had a higher tally at this stage of the season (81, set by Bayern themselves in 2012-13).
- Hertha has lost one of its last 16 home games (4-1 versus Borussia Monchengladbach) and is unbeaten in 10 at the Olympiastadion. Only Borussia Dortmund (19) is currently on a longer run without defeat at home.
- Hertha has conceded multiple goals in three consecutive games for the first time under Pal Dardai. Bayern has conceded just one goal across the last six Bundesliga matchdays.
- Hertha has taken the fewest shots in the league this season (285), Bayern the most (581).

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