SVE welcome Hertha BSC: decisive weeks for the league
This season is supplying another exciting head-to-head for the top of the table. After an emotional derby win against 1. FC Kaiserslautern, this Saturday afternoon brings another particularly significant game for SV Elversberg. Hertha BSC are heading to Kaiserlinde as a long-standing club that is currently under sporting pressure, offers huge individual quality, and whose matches against SVE have been consistently decisive recently.
The fixture list is currently making life difficult for SV Elversberg. With the celebrations from their derby success on Betzenberg barely over, the URSAPHARM Arena on Kaiserlinde is already playing host to their next crucial duel. They are welcoming Hertha BSC, a club that many people viewed as a clear prospect for promotion last season. The fact that the Berlin team ‘only’ finished in seventh place as part of the chasing pack does little to change the fundamental quality they will be bringing to the URSAPHARM Arena pitch on Saturday. Or, as SVE‘s manager Vincent Wagner put it: ‘Last season, many experts viewed Hertha BSC as an absolute favourite for promotion – and deservedly so.’
Wagner knows what he’s talking about. After some initial issues in the autumn, Hertha caught up with the leading group as expected, although their last five matches have ended in a draw. This streak tells a different story depending on your perspective. ‘Some people are saying they have failed to win six times in a row – but they have also remained unbeaten for five matches’, was Wagner’s view. This has clear consequences for SV Elversberg: ‘We will need a top performance, as well as a touch of luck, to win the match. We are working hard to ensure that only a small amount of luck will be required.’
Comparisons with their last home game are particularly telling. ‘It will be just as hard as against VfL Bochum, perhaps even harder, as Berlin’s attacking ranks are stronger’, Wagner noted – but he will be relying on the Kaiserlinde factor: ‘The fact that this is a home game makes us even more confident. It will definitely be exciting.’ This assessment fits Elversberg’s season so far: solid, a clear style of play, rarely dazzled by a big-name opponent.
It will be just as hard as against VfL Bochum, perhaps even harder, as Berlin’s attacking ranks are stronger
SVE manager Vincent Wagner
However, Wagner will be somewhat curtailed in staffing terms on Saturday. Lasse Günther is still out with muscle issues and Daniel Pantschenko is unavailable due to illness. The Immanuël Pherai situation is the focus of particular attention: the 24-year-old came to Elversberg on loan from Hamburger SV just a few days ago to provide fresh boost to the attacking ranks – but is currently struggling with calf problems from his last appearance for HSV. Pherai will be there, but as a spectator to begin with. Nevertheless, expectations are high: his enthusiasm, his dynamism between the lines, and the threat he poses on goal are all qualities that fit perfectly with what SVE is hoping to gain from this loan in the medium term.
This has been offset by the departure of Otto Stange. The 18-year-old has returned to Hamburger SV early, after scoring three goals in twelve official matches for SVE and particularly making his mark as a substitute. Sports director Ole Book described this as a configuration ‘that will benefit all in the short, medium and long term’. This is only really a side note for the Hertha match but fits the dynamic of a squad that is continuing to develop as the season progresses – and can absorb change.
For Hertha BSC, on the other hand, this trip to Saarland is no ordinary away match. Past matches against SV Elversberg under manager Stefan Leitl have all been rather decisive in nature. In February of last year, falling 0:4 behind on Kaiserlinde by half-time prompted Leitl to make a fundamental change to their system of play – from a four-man to a five-man backfield. This watershed moment gave the team stability and formed the bedrock of a calmer second half to the season.
Elversberg have also created marked turning points on the Berlin team’s calendar this season. A weak 0:2 defeat in the league was followed by a 3:0 in Hanover, and the cup win against SVE in the autumn lit the spark for a winning streak of five official matches. Now comes another game that could determine the course of the season. A win would put Hertha within striking distance of the top, whereas another draw (which would make their sixth in a row) or even a defeat would leave them even further away.
The pressure is self-imposed, and Leitl did not mince his words. Following their last two draws, both after initially pulling 2:0 ahead, he openly noted: ‘Games like this really make me sick, I get angry.’ He felt there was too much effort for too little yield. Given this, analysis ‘sharpened our awareness of how important it is to score a third or fourth goal in order to perhaps ensure a calmer game’.
New arrival Josip Brekalo should also provide some extra options. The Croatian arrived on the final day of the transfer window and is providing more flexibility to the attacking ranks. Leitl described him as a player that is ‘urgently needed’ because he can be deployed on both sides, as a classic winger, in a central position, or even as a number ten. Brekalo is an option for Saturday, as is Zeefuik, returning from his yellow card ban. Kownacki is still serving a ban so will definitely be out of action and Kennet Eichhorn is still injured. In addition, preparations have not been ideal: ‘The whole of today’s training session was a write-off as we couldn’t get anything done’, Leitl complained about this week’s freezing conditions.
In sporting terms, the statistics for these two teams facing each other on Saturday speak for themselves. SV Elversberg have the best attacking ranks in the division with 37 goals, plus one of the most solid defensive lineups. ‘They are not easily riled, just play their game and exploit the opportunities that arise’, Leitl said approvingly. So he is not at all surprised that Elversberg are sitting in second place: ‘This is why they absolutely deserve to be up at the top.’
They are not easily riled, just play their game and exploit the opportunities that arise
BSC manager Stefan Leitl
However, for SV Elversberg, the focus remains clear: home game, big name, crucial weeks. Not a spectacle at any price, just the usual mix of boldness, structure and patience. Against an opponent who are under pressure – and whose recent matches against Elversberg have always served to point the way forward. Saturday will show what direction they will take next.
Off the pitch, this match day at the URSAPHARM Arena on Kaiserlinde has another, very serious side. DKMS will be running a registration campaign at the game on Saturday: from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and after the final whistle, spectators can visit the fan shop to register as potential stem cell donors. This has been prompted by the plight of five-month-old Felix from Furpach, who urgently needs a donation due to a rare immunodeficiency.