Bayern Munich Looks to Continue Winning Streak vs. Hertha Berlin
Bayern Munich will be looking to retain their 19-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga table this weekend when Hertha BSC travel to the Allianz Arena.
Pál Dárdai's side are sat firmly in midtable but causing an upset on Saturday could see Die Alte Dame's chances ofstaking a claim for a place in the Europa League next season get stronger.
Here's everything you need to know about the game this weekend.
Classic Encounter
Bayern Munich and Hertha BSC proved that having a strong aerial threat is still a powerful weapon to have in your arsenal when the two sides met back in 2013, with four of the five goals coming from clinical headers.
It was Hertha's Adrián Ramos - a Colombian striker with a reputation for his ability in the air - who opened the scoring after just four minutes at the Allianz Arena, nodding home a Per Ciljan Skjelbred corner into the back of the net.
Bayern responded by feeding their own target man, Mario Mandžukić, with perfect crosses either side of half-time. Franck Ribéry and Bastian Schweinsteiger found themselves claiming the assists as Bayern completed their turnaround.
A third goal was added by the hosts via the head of Mario Götze. The young playmaker would also find himself as the eventual match-winner after Änis Ben-Hatira's left-footed strike wasn't enough to spark a late comeback for Hertha.
Key Battle
David Alaba vs Valentino Lazaro
Although all the usual suspects - Robert Lewandowski & Co. - will have to be carefully marked out of the game, it is actually Bayern's David Alaba who could have his hands full this Saturday.
The Austrian full-back has had his season disrupted by injury, hardly what Alaba needed after his average campaign last year. Despite all of his quality, Hertha will know they can take the game to the defender this weekend.
The man that will be tasked with giving Alaba a constant headache at the Allianz Arena is Valentino Lazaro. The 21-year-old, who is a compatriot of Bayern's left-back, is currently on loan in the German capital and has been impressing during his time away from RB Salzburg.
Although having just one Bundesliga goal this season is hardly a statistic to get excited about, the young playmaker has been putting in performances that have left Lazaro emerging as one of Austria's brightest talents.
Team News
Hertha BSC will be without their clinical striker Vedad Ibisevic this weekend after the Bundesliga veteran was injured in last weeks defeat to Mainz 05. Julian Schieber is also expected to miss the game, while Karim Rekik could return to make his first appearance of 2018.
For Bayern Munich, only James Rodríguez has joined the short list of absentees this weekend after the Colombian suffered a calf injury against Beşiktaş on Tuesday.
Potential Bayern Munich Starting Lineup: Ulreich, Kimmich, Süle, Hummels, Alaba, Vidal, Thiago, Tolisso, Müller, Coman, Lewandowski.
Potential Hertha BSC Starting Lineup: Jarstein, Weisser, Stark, Rekik, Plattenhardt, Skjelbred, Lustenberger, Darida, Lazaro, Kalou, Selke.
Prediction
Although Bayern haven't beaten Hertha BSC in their last two attempts - both of which came at the Olympiastadion - they haven't lost against Die Alte Dame since 2009.
Jupp Heynckes will be confident of securing another win this Saturday but will be desperate to see his side improve defensively, with their last Bundesliga clean sheet coming back in December.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 4-1 Hertha BSC
