Hamburg vs Hertha Berlin Predictions

• Both teams scored in 62% of Hertha’s regular season Bundesliga games.
• The away side on the day is unbeaten in each of the last 12 relegation/promotion play-off finals.
• Both teams scored in 68% of Hamburg’s regular season league games, a second league high.

A top-flight return awaits Hamburg

A run of five straight wins ahead of this crucial clash both secured Hamburg’s place in the play-offs and given them a valuable 1-0 lead to take back to the Volksparkstadion as they look to comdemn Hertha Berlin to the second-tier for the first time in nine years.

While play-off games are generally more nervy affairs given what is at stake, the onus will be on the visitors to come here and win as anything less than that will see them relegated. As such, we predict that gaps will open up for Hamburg to strike on the counter.

That has often been the case during the regular season, with only games involving Karlsruher seeing goals at both ends more often than Hamburg’s 23/34 occasions, suggesting that this could be a more open affair than Hamburg would like.

Win or bust for Hertha Berlin

The visitors must win to have any chance of regaining their top-flight status, but even if they go down, their only two second-tier seasons in this century saw them bounce back immediately as champions.

They would rather not have to go through the trouble of another second-tier season though, and with their lengthy injury list combined with a three-game losing streak, it is hard to side with the visitors avoiding the drop.

Hertha are used to playing higher calibre of opponents than Hamburg and at least got on the scoresheet in eight of their last nine games. As such, we are siding with both teams to score in this encounter at what appears to be a great value price, with a tight 1-1 stalemate a likely correct score.

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