Bayern Munich vs Hertha Berlin

Bayern Munich’s stuttering Bundesliga title bid continues at the Allianz Stadium against basement boys Hertha Berlin.

Bayern Munich turned a 1-0 halftime lead into a dismal 3-1 defeat at Mainz last weekend, handing the top place in the Bundesliga over to Borussia Dortmund. Moreover, Mainz condemned Bayern to their third loss in seven competitive games under new boss Thomas Tuchel (W2, D2), as many as they had in 37 previous matches under former manager Julian Nagelsmann. As the season enters the business end, the ‘Bavarians’ have every reason to fear for their chances of landing an 11th consecutive Bundesliga title. Yet an outstanding 27-game unbeaten home run against Hertha in the Bundesliga (W21, D6) should guarantee success in this fixture and put Bayern’s underwhelming streak of three consecutive home games without a win to bed (D2, L1).

On the other hand, a goal-glutted 4-2 home loss to Werder Bremen last time out extended Hertha’s losing league streak to three matches, pinning them to the bottom of the standings. Without a win in seven successive Bundesliga outings (D2, L6), the visitors start this round six points adrift of safety, meaning a relegation playoff spot could be the only saving grace for Pal Dardai’s side. However, as the worst away team in the division with only five points from 14 top-flight travels (W1, D2, L11), ‘Die Adler’ must defy an 11-game winless league run on the road (D2, L9) to take home some precious points. But considering they’ve conceded at least three goals in six of their seven Bundesliga away games in 2023, stunning the Allianz Stadium looks implausible.