Matchday in focus: The Old Lady and the Prince | OneFootball

Sandro Schwarz took over at Hertha BSC in the summer, and the new coach is counting on an attacking setup as well as a well-known leader.

Tactics

Sandro Schwarz is back in the Bundesliga. The 43-year-old was promoted to head coach at 1. FSV Mainz 05 in summer 2017 and made a name for himself in the German top flight in the following two and a bit years. After a stint at Dynamo Moscow, Schwarz was hired by Hertha this summer.

The new boss deployed a 4-3-3 formation in the first two competitive matches of the season, and also fielded an almost identical starting line-up in the DFB Cup penalty shootout defeat against Eintracht Braunschweig and the derby against Union Berlin – the only change being Filip Uremovic, who moved to Berlin from Rubin Kazan in the summer, replacing Dedryck Boyata in the centre of defence.

Absentees

Aurélio Buta remains sidelined following knee surgery, while Jérôme Onguéné is still nursing a muscle strain.

The hosts are set to be without Marco Richter, Dong-jun Lee, Jessic Ngankam and Kelian Nsona due to injury. Omar Alderete has been given permission to look for another club. Schwarz did not confirm whether new signing Jean-Paul Boëtius is already in contention.

One to watch: Kevin-Prince Boateng

One to watch: Kevin-Prince Boateng

Head-to-head

Hertha and Eintracht have faced off 68 times in the Bundesliga. The Berliners have won 30 times, 21 of those on home turf. The Old Lady have registered more wins against the Eagles than against any other club in the top flight, but Frankfurt’s most recent away victory in the Bundesliga was a 4-1 success against Hertha on 5 March 2022.

Key battle: Ansgar Knauff vs. Marvin Plattenhardt

Eintracht secured the services of Dortmund’s Ansgar Knauff in January 2022. Just a few months later, the pacey and skilful German U21 international was on the pitch in Seville and lifted the Europa League trophy into the Spanish night sky. The 20-year-old quickly settled into his new home on the Main last season, occupying the right flank and featuring in 12 Bundesliga and seven Europa League matches. The youngster has good memories of the capital as he scored his first goal for the Eagles in the 4-1 victory in the second half of last season.

His opponent on the left side at the Olympiastadion is likely to be Marvin Plattenhardt, who’s been with Hertha since 2014. The left-back, who was named Hertha captain for this season, has made a total of 248 appearances in the Bundesliga, so it’s very much a case of youth against experience.

His opponent on the left side at the Olympiastadion is likely to be Marvin Plattenhardt, who’s been with Hertha since 2014. The left-back, who was named Hertha captain for this season, has made a total of 248 appearances in the Bundesliga, so it’s very much a case of youth against experience.