For Fredi Bobic, the game in Frankfurt is of course something special, Hertha’s manager is looking forward to his return to his former club. Coach Pal Dardai, meanwhile, knows exactly what his team needs.
Sportingly, Saturday’s Bundesliga match at Eintracht Frankfurt is of no small significance for Hertha BSC. After all, coach Pal Dardai’s team recently suffered setbacks in Leipzig (0:6) and against Freiburg (1:2) and are languishing in 14th place with six points from seven games, so if the Berliners could take something countable home from Frankfurt, it would calm things down.
For Fredi Bobic, however, the capital club’s visit to Frankfurt is no ordinary game. After all, Hertha’s managing director of sport is returning to the place where he successfully worked as Eintracht’s sports director from 2016 to 2021 before leaving Frankfurt, not without side noises, to find his way to Berlin. Nevertheless, the former national striker is coming to the Main metropolis in a cheerful mood. “I’m looking forward to it,” said Bobic at the Berlin matchday press conference on Thursday, adding that the first game against a former club is “always something special. It’s something nice emotionally. “
“It’s a beautiful thing emotionally. “
FREDI BOBIC
Bobic knows Frankfurt trend after wins against Bayern
Bobic knows only too well what coach Dardai and his team can expect in the Frankfurt Arena. “The atmosphere is breathtaking for both teams,” said Hertha’s managing director of sport, who expects the team to “really know what to expect”. Eintracht have good individual players, but are above all a physically strong team, which is why Bobic expects “a physical game”. “It’s up to us ourselves what we make of it.” Bobic knows that the Frankfurt side recently won 2-1 at FC Bayern and in the recent past liked to lose sometimes after victories against the record champions, and “wouldn’t mind it being the same again. “
Fun factor and mental hygiene in focus for Hertha
However, Hertha haven’t exactly been flaunting their confidence and enthusiasm for the game recently, which is why Dardai has put the focus on the fun factor and mental hygiene of his professionals during the international break, in addition to better collective defending (including of standards). “A lot of talks” he had, said the Hertha coach, who for his part is of course also aware that there is only one help for the psyche of his players: “We need a result.” Nevertheless, his team and he had spent a “very good ten days” in the internationals, according to Dardai, which is why the 45-year-old is looking ahead to the game in Frankfurt with confidence.
“We need a result. “
PAL DARDAI
Maolida tends to be there
The coach will have to do without the injured Lukas Klünter (shoulder surgery), Marton Dardai (torn muscle fibre), Deyovaisio Zeefuik (adductor problems), Linus Gechter (adductor injury) and Jordan Torunarigha (thigh injury). Myziane Maolida, on the other hand, has overcome a thigh problem and is likely to be part of the Frankfurt squad. The French newcomer was able to complete large parts of the training session on Thursday. “If everything stays like this, I think we will take him,” said Dardai.
Spectator increase at Olympiastadion an issue from next week
Apart from the sporting topicality, Bobic announced that those responsible at Hertha, with a view to the urgent application by city rivals Union to the Berlin Administrative Court regarding the increase in spectator capacity, “will sit down again at the beginning of the coming week on this subject and also observe what happens there.” He said he wished every Bundesliga club “that they could open their gates to everyone. Under certain conditions, which are then also logical.” The 49-year-old said that a solution would be sought with the responsible authorities to enable Hertha to allow more than the current 25,000 spectators into the Olympiastadion again in the near future.