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Hertha on the brink

It is the first time that current TSG boss Markus Babbel will return to Hertha Berlin since he was fired from the manager's job there in December 2011. And the 39-year-old now has now ironically been give an opportunity to exact sweet revenge on his former club, with whom this time last year he was celebrating promotion to the Bundesliga. A win for the Sinsheim outfit would condemn Hertha to their second relegation in three seasons. Their only remaining lifeline is the relegation play-off place, currently occupied by 1. FC Köln, who have a two-point lead over the Berliners. Babbel did betray some conflict about the possibility of relegating his old club but insisted he and his players would show their utmost professionalism. “I enjoyed a lot of success at Hertha, and it would be sad to see them relegated. But we are travelling there to try and win the game”, he declared plainly at his pre-match press conference.

Upturn in form

Hoffenheim's chances of qualifying for the Europa League may have gone after their two home defeats against Bayer 04 Leverkusen and 1. FC Nürnberg, but the results should not take anything away from the team's performances since Babbel took over in January. Yet resting on his laurels is an idea that is completely alien to Babbel. “I'm not a person who gloats. We will simply try and do everything to achieve the best possible finish for the club. After losing our last two matches, we want to redeem ourselves by winning this weekend.” The manager must do without the services of Tobias Weis, Roberto Firmino and Matthias Jaissle, who all unavailable.

Natural progression

When the team convenes for the first training session of the new campaign on June 18th, there will be a few new faces to welcome. On Wednesday this week, the signings of Swiss striker Eren Derdiyok and German international goalkeeper Tim Wiese from Leverkusen and SV Werder Bremen respectively were confirmed by the club. In addition, Stephan Schröck will arrive from soon-to-be Bundesliga side SpVgg Greuther Fürth, as well as defender Mathieu Delpierre, recruited from rivals VfB Stuttgart. And Kevin Volland, currently on loan at TSV 1860 Munich, will also rejoin his parent club. “We are simply moving on. Delpierre, Schröck and Wiese were all free transfers; we only had to pay a fee to bring Derdiyok here. There will of course be a few players moving on from us as well,” admitted the coach. With UEFA's Financial Faiplay rules due to kick in from next season, Babbel is clearly taking the club in the right direction.

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