2. Bundesliga preview: Eintracht Braunschweig vs. Hertha BSC

2. Bundesliga preview: Eintracht Braunschweig vs. Hertha BSC

Braunschweig head into the weekend in desperate need of points as their fight for survival intensifies. Winless in their last four outings, the appointment of Lars Kornetka has yet to spark a sustained upturn, with just one victory from his first five matches in charge. As things stand, Die Löwen sit 16th on 30 points and firmly entrenched in the relegation battle.

Their most recent outing did little to ease concerns, as they fell to a heavy 4-1 defeat away at VfL Bochum. Defensive frailties were once again exposed, with a lack of organisation and discipline proving costly.

Kornetka remains realistic but optimistic about the challenge ahead:

”That’s the status quo now: we have to get points. What gives me a lot of hope is that you can see that you can beat anyone in this league, that we can compete, and that we have phases in the game where we can be dominant and dictate the play.”

Hertha, meanwhile, continue to flatter to deceive. Just when momentum appears to be building, Die Alte Dame stumble again, repeatedly missing opportunities to close the gap on the promotion contenders. As a result, they have spent much of the campaign on the fringes of the top positions. Despite this inconsistency, head coach Stefan Leitl is expected to remain in charge heading into next season, with the club set for a fourth consecutive 2. Bundesliga campaign.

Last time out offered another example of their frustrations. A 1-0 home defeat to 1. FC Kaiserslautern saw Hertha dominate possession and most attacking metrics, yet fail to convert their control into goals at the Olympiastadion.

Leitl is hoping this fixture can act as a turning point:

“Last year’s match there (in Braunschweig) was a game-changer for us, and perhaps it can be again this time – if we reach the 50-point mark and close the gap to the top of the table to inject some more excitement. After the defeat against Kaiserslautern, we want to get three points immediately. That might give us a boost for the subsequent matches, allowing us to potentially climb to fifth or even fourth place. Those should be realistic goals.”

Hertha edged the reverse fixture earlier this season, claiming a narrow 1-0 win courtesy of Marten Winkler’s second-half strike. They are unbeaten against Braunschweig since 2020 and will take confidence from that record.