Hertha Berlin vs Bochum

Two sides that have had identical returns from their last two Bundesliga games (D1, L1) are set to trade tackles at the Olympiastadion as Hertha Berlin take on Bochum.

An embarrassing 4-1 defeat at Bayern Munich on the eve of the international break maintained Hertha Berlin’s unbeaten start to the new calendar year (D1, L3). The home side’s defensive frailties have also seen them concede 2+ goals in four of their last five Bundesliga outings, letting in an average of 2.6 goals per game in that sequence. Moreover, after going unbeaten in five consecutive home league matches (W3, D2), ‘Die Alte Dame’ have lost their last two such fixtures by 3+ goals ‘to one,’ conceding precisely two first-half goals on both occasions. However, Hertha can draw confidence from their imperious record against Bochum, having won each of their last five competitive H2Hs en route to setting their longest ongoing winning streak against a single opponent in German professional football.

On the other hand, Bochum face an unpleasant trip to Berlin, where they’ve conceded an alarming average of 2.2 goals per Bundesliga game. Additionally, the visitors have only won two of their 21 top-flight meetings with Hertha in the country’s capital (D7, L12), last prevailing in such a contest in April 1994. It is likely to stay that way, given that ‘Die Unabsteigbaren’ have picked up a league second-low six points on hostile turf this season (W2, L8) while losing their last two Bundesliga away games without scoring. What’s more, no team has scored fewer Bundesliga goals on the road than Bochum (6) this season, with only RB Leipzig (2) netting fewer second-half goals in top-flight away action than them (3). So it’s unsurprising that they’ve lost all eight away Bundesliga fixtures when conceding first this season.