SVE well equipped for final push

Relegated versus promoted team, village club versus capital club, SV Elversberg versus Hertha BSC. The first leg took a clear direction – the second one could go differently.

Hertha and SV Elversberg are just five points apart in the table, with the first leg lost 1:5 in Berlin. It was a game that should have been much less clear cut than it was. But no-one in Elversberg is thirsting for revenge – instead they are seeking to secure their place in the league for next year: ‘It does not matter what happened in the first leg or what happens on other pitches at the weekend. For us, it is a matter of doing our job and putting in a good performance to secure a clear position in the table by ourselves’, head coach Horst Steffen said at the press conference.

It is also clear that this will be no easy task. Despite plenty of unrest, Hertha have had a solid season, but the team could definitely offer more in terms of quality. Which Steffen also understands: ‘They are a high-quality team, look at Reese and Tabakovic. But they are not the only ones. In my view, the team as a whole is one of the top teams in the second division. The fact that they are not currently at the top is no comment on their quality. We must be and will be well equipped.’

The lineup will change due to Carlo Sickinger’s suspension for a red card. Captain Luca Schnellbacher will be returning after recovering from a cold, as will Semih Sahin.

They also have an opportunity to officially secure their position in the league for next year on Sunday.