Marquee match between the high-rolling Bundesliga teams this season is set to take place on Saturday afternoon at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

Hertha honeymoon over?

Hertha Berlin have been the surprise pack in the Bundesliga this season and they can be more than happy with their results thus far in the campaign. Die Alte Dame find themselves in third place of the Bundesliga standings with 34 points to their name, three clear of Bayer Leverkusen in fourth. UEFA Champions League promotion is still a live dream for Pal Dardai’s men who have suffered a dip in form in 2016. Having closed the last year with three wins on the bounce, Hertha Berlin have been forced to settle for back-to-back draws at the beginning of 2016. Goalless home draw against Augsburg ended in disappointment and was followed by much more exciting 3-3 draw at Werder Bremen. Dardai’s troops have started the game in excellent manner taking a two-goal lead, but were unable to close the deal having allowed the hosts to get back in the game during the closing stages. Hertha Berlin are now faced with a tough task against the high-flying Borussia Dortmund and Dardai’s team will have to work hard in order to make something out of the high-profile game versus the BVB.

Tolga Cigerci, Sacha Burchert and Julian Scheiber have all picked up knocks during the first month of 2016 and will be unavailable for selection. Per Cilijan Skjelbred is suspended for the affair, while Sami Allagui remains a long-term absentee.

Dortmund flying high

Bayern Munich’s dominant season has not been able to shadow Borussia Dortmund’s impressive rout this term. Die Borussen have recovered excellently from their last season’s problems and are enjoying life under their new manager Thomas Tuchel. Former Mainz manager has managed to restore Dortmund’s recognizable attractive playing style and BVB are once again the force to be reckoned with. Having scored 52 goals in 19 Bundesliga matches thus far, Dortmund are the most prolific team in the German championship and the fans are pretty excited with their team’s excellent scoring exploits. Majority of Dortmund’s goal were scored by a single man – Peirre-Emerick Aubameyang. The 26-year-old Gabon forward has netted 20 times in the league, adding seven more in Europe and additional two in DFB Pokal thus taking his tally to total of 29 goals this season. Tuchel’s team has mostly relied on their prized attacker upfront and German public are concerned over the lack of transfer activity which could pose a potential problem for Die Borussen, should Aubameyang suffer a blow or a dip in form.

Nuri Sahin and Sven Bender are the two absentees for the clash in Berlin and Tuchel will have plenty of first-team options to choose from.

Verdict

Dortmund have been fairly successful against Hertha in recent times, but Dardai’s men have seen a great deal of improvement and should not be taken lightly. Dortmund are on a scoring spree and I don’t see why we should be in for another high-margin match.

Top pick: Both teams to score – Yes    1.7 (7/10) @Coral

Alternative pick 1: Over 2.5 goals    1.65 (13/20) @Bet365

Alternative pick 2: Away win    1.53 (8/15) @BetFred