Hertha Berlin vs Freiburg – News and Probable Lineups

Freiburg, who were recent finalists in the DFB Pokal, are aiming to secure their third semi-final appearance in five years when they head to the German capital to face Hertha Berlin.

Both teams come into this fixture with morale boosted by recent league victories, setting the stage for an exciting match at the historic Olympiastadion.

Match overview

For Hertha Berlin, gaining promotion back to the Bundesliga is their primary focus this season, but they have also made significant progress in the DFB Pokal, showing impressive performance in this side competition.

Interestingly, in their last seven years competing at the top level, Hertha has never progressed beyond the third round in this cup competition.

However, since their relegation to the challenging 2. Bundesliga, Hertha has reached the quarter-finals of the Pokal for the second time in three years.

Under Stefan Leitl’s management, the team is considered the underdog against Freiburg, which is not entirely surprising, especially given that Hertha has not won at home in their last four matches.

It has been more than two months since Hertha fans have celebrated a home win in any tournament, and expectations are low for a change this Tuesday night.

On a brighter note, the Berlin squad has been finding the back of the net frequently, scoring seven goals in their last three matches, with nine goals in their two most recent cup encounters.

Freiburg has developed a strong affinity for the DFB Pokal recently, excelling in the tournament and even reaching the finals in 2022.

Suffering a defeat to RB Leipzig in that final was undoubtedly disappointing, particularly since Freiburg has yet to secure a major trophy (excluding their 2. Bundesliga titles).

Nonetheless, the Breisgau Brazilians have managed to reach the semi-finals in 2023 and the round of 16 in the previous season.

Now, in the ongoing season, Julian Schuster has guided his team to another cup quarter-final, and the head coach is eager to take them even further, especially with a second-division team as their opponent.

Freiburg will arrive in the capital after a narrow 1-0 win against Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga last weekend, a result that has elevated the club to seventh place in the league, just six points shy of European competition spots.

Hertha Berlin DFB Cup form:

W W W

Hertha Berlin form (all competitions):

D D D D D W

Freiburg DFB Cup form:

W W W

Freiburg form (all competitions):

D W W L L W

Team News

Hertha Berlin recently had one of their previous investors, Lars Windhorst, mentioned in the latest Jeffrey Epstein files, but this was not the most significant news from the club this month.

The development that truly saddened Hertha fans is the potentially serious injury to their young talent, Kennet Eichhorn, who has been sidelined for three matches and may be out for a lengthy period.

Midfielders Diego Demme and Maurice Krattenmacher are also unavailable and will not play in the quarter-final.

As for injuries on Freiburg’s side, experienced defender Lukas Kubler is recovering from a hamstring injury and will not feature.

Another defender, Philipp Lienhart, is also ruled out due to an abdominal strain, while Daniel-Kofi Kyereh has been out of action for three years and remains doubtful for Tuesday’s match.

Additionally, Philipp Treu was not included in the squad for the clash against Werder Bremen on Saturday, and his status for the cup match is uncertain.

Hertha Berlin probable starting XI:

Ernst; Karbownik, Leistner, Gechter, Zeefuik; Klemens, Seguin; Winkler, Cuisance, Reese; Schuler

Freiburg probable starting XI:

Atubol; Rosenfelder, Ginter, Ogbus, Gunter; Eggestein, Osterhage, Beste, Manzambi, Grifo; Matanovic

While Hertha Berlin may be in good scoring form, the expectation is for Bundesliga quality to prevail on Tuesday night.

Freiburg has lost only one of their last four domestic matches, and Julian Schuster’s squad is anticipated to take control of the game.