'WIth passion and heart'

 

Berlin - Ordinarily, the media room at Hertha BSC would be filled to the brim for a press conference ahead of an away match against the team sitting second in the league during the closing stages of a season. But, the new normal was in full effect once more, as the only ones in the room for today's pre-match press conference were club spokesperson, Marcus 'Max' Jung, head coach Bruno Labbadia and sporting director Michael Preetz. Journalists sent in their questions to Jung, who then relayed them to the room. However, the anticipation ahead of Saturday's match against Borussia Dortmund (06.06.20, 18:30 CEST) remained. "We know that we are up against a top-quality team, one with exceptional talent. Lucien Favre is doing a good job. But, of course we want to continue our run of good form in Dortmund as well," said Bruno Labbadia, who expects to see the following from his side: "I hope that the team continues to play the way they have been - with the same shape and desire we've shown, and with passion and heart." However, the coach will be without several players ahead of Saturday's Topspiel. After suffering mild concussions, it is still too early for Matheus Cunha and Marvin Plattenhardt to feature. The same is true for Thomas Kraft and Marius Wolf, who are both taking part in individual training. Niklas Stark and Karim Rekik both returned to team training earlier this week, and could be an option on the weekend. 

Regardless of who lines up for the Blue-Whites on the weekend, and the healthy respect the team have for their opponents, Michael Preetz is hoping to see a courageous performance from the big city club. "Dortmund are having a very, very strong season and have players who can decide the game for them. We need to have a strong defensive strategy, but also go on the attack in order to land a few blows of our own as well," he said.