Hertha Berlin vs Bayern Munich: League leaders look to pile more misery on floundering hosts

Topics: TV Schedules, Hertha Berlin, Bayern Munich, Bundesliga

Bayern Munich will aim to extend their lead on top of the Bundesliga table when they travel to face struggling Hertha Berlin on Friday, February 5th.

Preview: Hertha Berlin vs Bayern Munich

Simply put, this match couldn't come at a worse time for Hertha Berlin. Die Alte Dame have been in awful form lately, and will come into this match on a three-game losing streak. In fact, Pal Dardai's squad have picked up just one point from their last five Bundesliga matches, and now are only out of the drop zone by the skin of their teeth. It's a disappointing downturn of events for a side who kicked off this year with a resounding 3-0 win over fellow relegation candidates Schalke, but despite having a relatively "easier" fixture list, Hertha were unable to take advantage and as a result, have slid down the table rather than inching their way up it.

Unfortunately for the struggling hosts, they aren't expected to get much of a break when Bayern come to town. Although the Bavarian titans have had their problems - namely with keeping a clean sheet - they nonetheless have started to slowly pull away from the chasing pack. Hansi Flick's men sit seven points clear at the top of the table, and with an expected win in this upcoming tie, will be 10 points ahead of second-placed RB Leipzig heading into the weekend's round of fixtures.

With the Club World Cup coming up, Flick could opt to rotate his squad here in order to keep everyone fighting fit ahead of that tournament. Bayern come into this tie having gotten revenge on Hoffenheim for their early season loss as die Roten cruised to a 4-1 victory on Saturday. That makes it four consecutive league wins, and barring a shocking collapse, the visitors should be able to make it five on the spin ahead of their trip to Qatar next week.

Star striker Robert Lewandowski will certainly be eager to feature here in order to add more goals to his rapidly growing tally; the Polish ace has already racked up a whopping 24 goals which includes 12 in just his last nine matches. The 32-year-old is again on a quest to break Gerd Muller's long-standing record for most goals in a single Bundesliga campaign, and at the rate he's going, he should be able to do just that by the time this season ends in a few months.

And not surprisingly, Bayern also have an excellent record against Hertha Berlin, with just one loss in their last 20 meetings across all competitions. That's not likely to change when the two sides come face-to-face this Friday - especially considering die Alte Dame have the third worst defense in the league (only Schalke and Mainz who have conceded 49 and 40 times respectively, have fared worse).

Team news: Hertha Berlin vs Bayern Munich

Hertha Berlin: Javario Dilrosun (knee), Dedryck Boyata (foot), Marvin Plattenhardt (groin), and Jhon Cordoba (muscular problems) will not be available for the hosts heading into this clash.

Bayern Munich: New signing Tanguy Nianzou remains out for the long-haul due to a thigh injury. In addition, both Javi Martinez and Leon Goretzka are major doubts as a result of their respective injuries.

Match facts: Hertha Berlin vs Bayern Munich

Bayern are undefeated in 19 of their last 20 matches against Hertha Berlin in all competitions
Die Roten have also won 17 of their last 20 away fixtures in the Bundesliga