Three blue and white Easter eggs

As Bundesliga 2 resumes after the break for international games, VfL Bochum visit the Olympic stadium on matchday 27.

Berlin - The stats between the two sides look quite even at first glance. Of the 49 games so far Hertha have won 18, Bochum 19, while 12 ended in draws. If we look at the more recent past however, things are not even by a long shot. Herthe beat VfL 2-0 in the last three games and kept a clean sheet in all four of their last meetings. Bochum have only beaten Hertha once in 16 attempts over the last decade. The capital city side also boast an unbeaten record against Bochum of 11 matches. After Eintracht Braunschweig overtook Hertha at the top of the table by beating Dynamo Dresden at home on Thursday night (28.03.13), the pressure is on Hertha to follow suit on Saturday (30.03.13, 15.30 CET). Sami Allagui said this week: "We have to dictate the tempo of the game."

"VfL Bochum are one of the best teams in the division, who are somehow having to fight for survival at the moment", says Hertha coach Jos Luhukay, who is surprised by Bochum's lowly position (15th) in the Bundesliga 2 table. It is the lowest ever positioning of the tradition-steeped Ruhr Valley club: "Bochum are better than their current position in the table suggests. They are a tough group so we are warned", knows Peer Kluge who was a Hertha goal scorer in the 2-0 win in Bochum earlier in the season.

Best behaviour a must

Despite having respect for Bochum, the Hertha camp are in confident mood ahead of the game against the two-time UEFA Cup participants. Luhukay: "I expect Bochum to be one of the few teams who will not just mass their defence against us, but try to play themselves. We will need to show our qualities to beat them." The Dutchman is well aware of Bochum's ability to switch instantly from defence to attack when the chance arises. He added: "We have to neutralise their strengths. In Leon Goretzka, they have one of the most talented players of his age group."

Luhukay told the media at the pre-match press conference in Berlin this week that he is "spoilt for choice" with regard to team selection. Only defender Maik Franz is unfit with a heavy cold. Hubnik, Holland, Knoll, Mukhtar and Bastians all failed to make the squad. The luxury of choosing a team from a fully fit squad could change ahead of the visit of leaders Braunschweig to Berlin the following week: Peter Niemeyer, Ronny, Peter Pekarik and Sandro Wagner are all on four bookings, so a further card against Bochum would see them miss the clash of all clashes on matchday 28: "We need to concentrate on the Bochum game and give our all. If we get booked we get booked", stated Hertha captain Peter Niemeyer earlier this week. Franz knows what to expect on Saturday. He explained: "Bochum are fighting for their very existence, so expect a team to turn up with fire in their bellies and a blade between their teeth." Allagui again: "We have to out tackle them to prevent them from threatening our goal."

Confident visitors

Fighting talk came out of Bochum this week: "We respect Berlin's good performances but are not scared", said VfL striker Mirkan Aydin. His coach Karsten Neitzel was even clearer as he said: "We do not travel to Berlin with our pants full. We plan to postpone Hertha's title celebrations on April 21st by a further week." Bochum have a right to feel confident too. In their last home game they dominated Braunschweig at home only to lose in the end.

Hertha are keen to prevent them returning home with three "Easter eggs" in their basket. Luhukay and his team want to give their home fans the perfect Easter present - three blue and white Easter points.

Possible line-ups:

Hertha BSC: Kraft – Pekarik, Lustenberger, Brooks, Kobiashvili – Niemeyer, Kluge – Allagui, Ronny, Schulz – Ramos
VfL Bochum: Luthe –Rothenbach, Maltritz, Eyjolfsson, Lumb – Kramer, Dabrowski – Tasaka, Goretzka, Rzatkowski – Scheidhauer