Teams | October 19, 2013 at 02:15 AM
Home strength meets away weakness
Home strength meets away weakness
Hertha entertain Gladbach at the Olympic stadium on Bundesliga matchday 9.
Berlin - Bundesliga action is finally on the agenda again following the break for World Cup qualifying games. On Saturday evening (19.10.13, 6.30 pm), Borussia Mönchengladbach visit the Olympic stadium in Berlin for a matchday 9 encounter. It promises to be anything but just another game. Both coaches - Hertha's Jos Luhukay and Gladbach's Lucien Favre both face former clubs, while there is also the little matter of a rather special attacking midfield duel, featuring Hertha's Ronny taking on his brother - former Hertha star Rafael for the first time in a Bundesliga game. That could add a little spice to the occasion to say the least.
Luhukay is delighted that a crowd in excess of 60,000 is expected to attend the game under the floodlights in the capital city. With regard to team selection, the Dutchman has his full squad to choose his starting eleven from, with the exception of long term injured Alexander Baumjohann (cruciate ligaments) and young striker Sandro Wagner, who injured his left knee during Thursday training (17.10.13). Marcel Ndjeng and John Anthony Brooks resumed first team training at the start of the week, but the Gladbach game comes too early for the duo. Luhukay wants Ndjeng to find his playing rhythm again in training while "Jay" Brooks must completely recover from his nasty elbow injury. On Thursday (17.10.13) Peter Pekarik and Hany Mukhtar were the final two men to return to the club unscathed from international duty. Luhukay found some words of praise for his former team at the pre-match press conference held in Berlin. He told the media: "Gladbach are very attractive opponents who are able to switch very quickly and are very strong and efficient up front." The Dutchman added that the "Foals" as they are known have a lot of tempo and quality on the counter attack.
Luhukay: "We must patiently wait for a gap to appear"
As always Hertha's 50 year old coach will be playing for a win at home. He knows: "If we can reproduce the form we showed in Hannover before the break we can win the game." An attacking approach is a risk well worth taking according to the Hertha coach who added: " We defend high up the pitch, which sometimes gives our opponents the space to his us on the break. It is a risk we are willing to take." Until now that tactic has come off in home games. That way of playing however brings with it its own demands. The early pressing costs strength. Luhukay knows that against a defensively astute team like Gladbach: "We must be patient and wait for a gap to appear in their defence that we can exploit." The press have of course been all over the fact that Ronny and Rafael face each other across the halfway line for the first time in a Bundesliga game. That aspect does not interest Luhukay, who said: "It is about Hertha BSC against Gladbach and not Ronny against Rafael." The team is the most important thing, even if the Brazilian brothers do bring something extra to the table. Luhukay: "If one of the brothers does something decisive to win the game I of course hope it will be Ronny."
Gladbach boss Lucien Favre is without the services of Álvaro Domínguez and Harvard Nordtveit for the visit to his former stomping ground. While central defender Domínguez broke his collar bone against Borussia Dortmund last time out, Nordtveit sustained an ankle problem. All of Borussia's internationals returned from World Cup qualifying duty unscathed. The Swiss-born head coach is by no means surprised that his former team is sitting pretty in sixth place in the Bundesliga table. He told the press: "Hertha have lost two games so far. In Wolfsburg they missed two early sitters while the game was still goalless. Against Stuttgart (0-1) they had a scoring chance ratio of 6-2 and were the far better side. " According to Favre, Hertha simply belong in the top flight. He finds it tough to blend out his tenure in Berlin though. The Gladbach boss: "Nowadays it is not as strange to return to Berlin as it was say two years ago. A lot of time has passed sine then."
Favre eyeing first away win
Favre has of course studied the strengths of the capital city side. He explained: "They are a strong running well organised team, who are very dangerous when the win possession back." The Foals hope to record what will be their first away win of the season in Berlin. Until now they have only collected a single point on their travels. Favre again: "We will give it our best shot. We have played well away from home until now but we have missed many opportunities, mainly because we have conceded silly goals." Tactically Favre will play the same way away from home as he does at home: "There is no difference. We try to play the same way home and away", he added. That means that Borussia will not sit back and wait for a chance to hit Hertha on the break, but far more take the game to the opposition. Favre finally: "Of course playing like that can leave you open to counter attacks. That is something we will have to try to prevent."
Possible line-ups:
Hertha BSC: Kraft - Pekarik, Langkamp, Lustenberger, van den Bergh - Skjelbred, Hosogai - Allagui, Ronny/Ben-Hatira, Ben-Hatira/Schulz - Ramos
Borussia Mönchengladbach: ter Stegen - Jantschke, Stranzl, Brouwers, Wendt - Kramer, Xhaka - Herrmann, Arango - Raffael, Kruse
Luhukay is delighted that a crowd in excess of 60,000 is expected to attend the game under the floodlights in the capital city. With regard to team selection, the Dutchman has his full squad to choose his starting eleven from, with the exception of long term injured Alexander Baumjohann (cruciate ligaments) and young striker Sandro Wagner, who injured his left knee during Thursday training (17.10.13). Marcel Ndjeng and John Anthony Brooks resumed first team training at the start of the week, but the Gladbach game comes too early for the duo. Luhukay wants Ndjeng to find his playing rhythm again in training while "Jay" Brooks must completely recover from his nasty elbow injury. On Thursday (17.10.13) Peter Pekarik and Hany Mukhtar were the final two men to return to the club unscathed from international duty. Luhukay found some words of praise for his former team at the pre-match press conference held in Berlin. He told the media: "Gladbach are very attractive opponents who are able to switch very quickly and are very strong and efficient up front." The Dutchman added that the "Foals" as they are known have a lot of tempo and quality on the counter attack.
Luhukay: "We must patiently wait for a gap to appear"
As always Hertha's 50 year old coach will be playing for a win at home. He knows: "If we can reproduce the form we showed in Hannover before the break we can win the game." An attacking approach is a risk well worth taking according to the Hertha coach who added: " We defend high up the pitch, which sometimes gives our opponents the space to his us on the break. It is a risk we are willing to take." Until now that tactic has come off in home games. That way of playing however brings with it its own demands. The early pressing costs strength. Luhukay knows that against a defensively astute team like Gladbach: "We must be patient and wait for a gap to appear in their defence that we can exploit." The press have of course been all over the fact that Ronny and Rafael face each other across the halfway line for the first time in a Bundesliga game. That aspect does not interest Luhukay, who said: "It is about Hertha BSC against Gladbach and not Ronny against Rafael." The team is the most important thing, even if the Brazilian brothers do bring something extra to the table. Luhukay: "If one of the brothers does something decisive to win the game I of course hope it will be Ronny."
Gladbach boss Lucien Favre is without the services of Álvaro Domínguez and Harvard Nordtveit for the visit to his former stomping ground. While central defender Domínguez broke his collar bone against Borussia Dortmund last time out, Nordtveit sustained an ankle problem. All of Borussia's internationals returned from World Cup qualifying duty unscathed. The Swiss-born head coach is by no means surprised that his former team is sitting pretty in sixth place in the Bundesliga table. He told the press: "Hertha have lost two games so far. In Wolfsburg they missed two early sitters while the game was still goalless. Against Stuttgart (0-1) they had a scoring chance ratio of 6-2 and were the far better side. " According to Favre, Hertha simply belong in the top flight. He finds it tough to blend out his tenure in Berlin though. The Gladbach boss: "Nowadays it is not as strange to return to Berlin as it was say two years ago. A lot of time has passed sine then."
Favre eyeing first away win
Favre has of course studied the strengths of the capital city side. He explained: "They are a strong running well organised team, who are very dangerous when the win possession back." The Foals hope to record what will be their first away win of the season in Berlin. Until now they have only collected a single point on their travels. Favre again: "We will give it our best shot. We have played well away from home until now but we have missed many opportunities, mainly because we have conceded silly goals." Tactically Favre will play the same way away from home as he does at home: "There is no difference. We try to play the same way home and away", he added. That means that Borussia will not sit back and wait for a chance to hit Hertha on the break, but far more take the game to the opposition. Favre finally: "Of course playing like that can leave you open to counter attacks. That is something we will have to try to prevent."
Possible line-ups:
Hertha BSC: Kraft - Pekarik, Langkamp, Lustenberger, van den Bergh - Skjelbred, Hosogai - Allagui, Ronny/Ben-Hatira, Ben-Hatira/Schulz - Ramos
Borussia Mönchengladbach: ter Stegen - Jantschke, Stranzl, Brouwers, Wendt - Kramer, Xhaka - Herrmann, Arango - Raffael, Kruse