Wolfsburg vs Hertha

August 30, 2013
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

Wolfsburg couldn’t build on the impressive victory over Schalke as they were beaten by Hannover on the road, but the Wolves are hoping to return to winning ways against Hertha. The newly promoted side continue to dazzle as they beat Hamburg at home, but their unbeaten run will be put to a serious test at Volkswagen Arena.

Wolves no longer a force on the road

It was some disappointing shows at home that ended up costing the team dearly last term as Wolfsburg could only win 3 of 17 home games, but they largely impressed on the road with a 7-5-5 away record. Things seems to have changed this term as the Wolves recorded two 2-0 defeat on the travels, losing to Hannover and Mainz, while hammering Schalke 4-0 at home in between of those two fixtures. This does not have to mean anything, but while the team will be hoping to continue the good run at home, their away performances will need to improve if the club are to realise their pre-season ambitions. It does feel as though the club officials have made all the right moves in the transfer market, signing Daniel Caliguri, Timm Klose and Koo Ja-Cheol before pulling off the biggest coup in recent history by luring Luiz Gustavo away from Alianz Arena. After impressing on his debut, the Brazilian was sent off in last week’s defeat to Mainz, and it was that moment that changed the course of the match seeing as how Wolfsburg had looked pretty good during the first hour. And while the Wolves continue to concede cheap goals, they are creating chances for fun, which is definitely a reason for optimism ahead of the important match against Hertha.

Luiz Gustavo misses out through suspension, while Bas Dost is not yet ready to return from injury. The good news is first choice keeper Diego Benaglio has recovered from a back problem.

Amazing start for Hertha

Having twice suffered relegation from Bundesliga only to return to the top flight the following season in last four years, Hertha will be determined to avoid another major setback this season. If the start of the league campaign is anything to go by, the Old Lady is on the road to finally establish themselves as mid table side in Bundesliga. Unlike other promoted sides, Hertha opted against heavy summer recruitment, only bringing in Alexander Baumjohann, Hajime Hosogai, Sebastian Langkamp and Johannes van den Bergh, which proved to be a great decision. While the new players slotted straight into the starting line-up, they did not disrupt the balance of the squad, which allowed the team to flourish early on. Hertha in turn picked up seven points from first three fixtures, while narrowly missing out on 100% record having conceded a late goal at Nurnberg. Anyone who’s watched the Old Lady this season will tell you they thoroughly deserved all those points, but I still feel they will find it hard to match very good Wolfsburg side, especially since the players will be feeling a bit overconfident. However, with the attacking potential boss Jos Luhukay has at his disposal, chances are we are going to see a very open game.

Johannes van den Bergh is unlikely to play after injuring his hamstring, while Pierre Lasogga, Hany Mukhtar and Marcel N’Djeng are also sidelined.

Verdict

Wolfsburg seem to be slowly turning their Volkswagen Arena into a real fortress and I can see them putting an end to Hertha’s unbeaten run. However, with the Old Lady scoring goals for fun both home and away, chances are we are going to witness a high-scoring game.

Top pick: Over 2.5 goals   1.70 (7/10) @ Unibet

Alternative pick 1: Home win   2.00 (1/1) @ Ladbrokes

Alternative pick 2: Over 3.5 goals   2.75 (7/4) @ 888sport

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