Hamburg – Hertha Berlin

Fans will see less than four goals in the centre match of the round

The hosts of the centre match of the third round have been relegated from the Bundesliga at the end of the 2017/2018 season. From the very first draw of the Second Bundesliga, the Black and White and Blue were considered by bookmakers as the main favourites for promotion year after year. The club, endowed with a high status, had been treading near the top of the standings for all five years, but only finished fourth three times and third twice. In the two play-offs for promotion, Hamburg lost first to Hertha (2021/2022) and then to Stuttgart (2022/2023). Tim Walter's side started the current season with an emotional 5-3 win over Schalke, but in the second round they were beaten 2-2 by a tough Karlsruhe side. Last Sunday, Hamburg beat Roth-Weiss Essen 4-3 in the German Cup only in extra time. The open style of play did not bring the expected result to the Hamburg club in two of the three official games at the start of the season, but in the third it allowed them to beat Schalke, largely due to the power play. Walter should draw conclusions and set the team up for more restrained tactics on Saturday. Bookmakers consider the home team the favourites, offering odds of 1.88 on their victory. Hertha have often in their history found themselves in the second division of the country. The two-time German champion dropped here for one season in 2012-2013 but immediately returned to the Bundesliga. Another thing is that ten seasons in the elite German championship became, to put it mildly, inglorious for Hertha. Only twice during this period, the Berlin club took the final position above tenth. Last place in the last draw was a natural end to the club's stay in the Bundesliga. Hertha will experience the stress of a division change for the first time in ten years, so it is quite possible to explain its starting results in the second division. First, the team from the capital failed to pass a difficult test in Düsseldorf, and then conceded a crucial goal against lowly Veen in Berlin on 90+2 minutes. Both matches were lost 0-1, and the cup win over Karl-Zeiss Jena only slightly sweetened the failed start of the championship. Hertha will be extremely cautious in Hamburg, so don't expect a goal extravaganza typical for the hosts at the start of the season.