Bayer Leverkusen is welcoming Hertha BSC to BayArena in round 28 of the German Bundesliga. Leverkusen is getting Schick back for this game, but they have lost Wirtz for the rest of the season, and that is a problem. Hertha is still fighting for survival in Bundesliga, and if they want to stay, now it’s time to start winning points.
Leverkusen is now in 3rd place with 48 points but losing Wirtz will diminish their chances of staying there. Leverkusen has been scoring a lot of goals this season, 66 in total, and Schick is their leading goalscorer with 20 goals. Wirtz has added 11 assists. There are a few other injured players for Leverkusen, and their depth has been reduced to half. Bundesliga is the only competition left for Leverkusen to play, and they need to fight to stay in that 3rd place, which they deserve, to be honest. I think Leverkusen is a fantastic team with a nice combination of youth and experience, but I doubt they will be able to keep Schick and Wirtz for next season. Leverkusen has been producing a lot of talented players over the last few years, but they weren’t able to keep any of them, which will also be the case with Wirtz and Schick.
Hertha has ended their long streak without a win, and it was before the international break, but now they need to keep winning. With 26 points, Hertha is in 16th place, which is in the relegation playoff spot, but they are only 1 point above the relegation spot. It’s hard to say what is worse for Hertha, their offense or defense. Hertha has scored only 29 goals this season, which is an average of just over 1 scored goal per game, while they have conceded 60 goals in 27 goals, and that is an average of over 2 conceded goals per game. Hertha looks horrible, and I’m not even sure how were they able to keep a clean sheet against Hoffenheim a couple of weeks ago. Jovetic is the leading goalscorer for Hertha with 6 goals. There are a few injuries in Hertha, but I doubt these players would help them be better. Hertha doesn’t have a lot of time, but of all the bottom teams, they might be the most experienced one, which might be enough, but only if they are lucky.
With Hertha ending their bad streak, they will do everything to keep it going now. Leverkusen can still score goals, but they certainly can’t defend. I’m taking goals on both sides.