Hertha players stay on course for World Cup qualification
Hertha players stay on course for World Cup qualification
The qualifying process for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar is going very well for Belgium: Dedryck Boyata and his teammates have picked up ten from a possible twelve points so far and look like probable group E winners. The Red Devils trailed early on against underdogs Iceland but rallied to a 5-2 victory thanks to a brace from Romelu Lukaku and goals from Hans Vanaken, Dortmund’s Axel Witsel and Thomas Foket. Our defender played the full 90 minutes at the centre of a back three for Roberto Martinez’s side. The Hertha skipper next faces Czech Republic in a crunch match on Sunday (5th September 2021, kick-off 20:45 CEST), and a win would take them one step closer to Qatar.
Slovakian international Peter Pekarik is also doing well in qualifying. Hertha’s number 2 and his national team met Slovenia on Wednesday evening in a game that finished 1-1 as his side remained undefeated in qualifying group H. Slovakia took the lead through Robert Bozenik (32’) before Slovenia found an equaliser just ten minutes later. ‘Peka’ lined up on the right side of defence and also played the entire game. Our long-serving defender will play at home in Bratislava against Croatia on Saturday evening (4th September 2021, kick-off 20:45 CEST). A win for Slovakia would see them leapfrog the Croats in the group H standings.
Lotka to feature for Poland U21s
Marcel Lotka, who has been called up to the Poland U21s, will face Latvia U21s in Jelgava on Friday evening (3rd September, 16:00 CEST) on matchday 1 of qualification for the U21 European Championship in Romania and Georgia. Lotka’s side have been drawn into qualifying group B which also includes Germany.
An overview of Hertha players’ fixtures during the international break
| Date | Kick-off | Players | Game (Location) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, 01/09/21 | 20:45 CEST | Peter Pekarík | WCQ Slovenia vs. Slovakia (Ljubljana) | 1-1 |
| Thu, 02/09/21 | 20:45 CEST | Dedryck Boyata, Dodi Lukébakio | WCQ Estonia vs. Belgium (Tallinn) | 2-5 |
| Fri, 03/09/21 | 16:00 CEST | Marcel Lotka | U21ECQ Latvia vs. Poland (Jelgava) | |
| Sat, 04/09/21 | 20:45 CEST | Peter Pekarík | WCQ Slovakia vs. Croatia (Bratislava) | |
| Sun, 05/09/21 | 20:45 CEST | Dedryck Boyata, Dodi Lukébakio | WCQ Belgium vs. Czech Republic (Brussels) | |
| Tue, 07/09/21 | 18:45 CEST | Daishawn Redan, Jurgen Ekkelenkamp | U21ECQ Netherlands vs. Moldova (Deventer) | |
| 20:00 CEST | Marcel Lotka | U21ECQ Poland vs. Israel (Lublin) | ||
| 20:45 CEST | Peter Pekarík | WCQ Slovakia vs. Cyprus (Bratislava) | ||
| Wed, 08/09/21 | 20:45 CEST | Dedryck Boyata, Dodi Lukébakio | WCQ Belarus vs. Belgium (Kazan) |