Hertha Berlin vs RB Leipzig: A win for the away side

In the Bundesliga on Saturday, Hertha Berlin will face fifth-placed RB Leipzig at the Olympiastadion Berlin.

The hosts have lost their past four league games and were held to a draw of 1-1 against Freiburg on Saturday. In the 52nd minute, in-form striker Vincenzo Grifo put Freiburg ahead, but the advantage was short-lived as Hertha Berlin equalized in the 77th minute.

Following the international break, RB Leipzig began their league season with a 3-0 home defeat against Mainz. They recovered well in the DFB Pokal, defeating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

Three defeats in their previous four Bundesliga games have dropped them to fifth position in the rankings, trailing league leaders Bayern Munich by ten points. RB Leipzig has enough quality to defeat struggling Hertha.

Hertha looks to be in genuine danger of dropping into Germany's second division after struggling to establish any real consistency during the club's first season in the Bundesliga.  

Goals have been plenty for the home side in recent weeks as evident in the late goal away to Freiburg to secure a critical point away from home. Hertha has now scored in seven consecutive league games. Although Hertha Berlin is scoring goals, the team has only managed to keep two clean sheets in their previous 21 league games. Only Werder Bremen and VfL Bochum surrendered more goals this season. That is a record that must be improved if Hertha Berlin is to have a realistic chance of avoiding relegation.

Although finishing third from the bottom would not be that much of a disaster considering that many of these players previously survived a two-legged playoff against Hamburger SV last May.

Hertha Berlin's possible starting lineup:

Goalkeepers: Christensen; 

Defenders: Uremovic, Kempf, Dardai; 

Midfielders: Richter, Tousart, Cigerci, Serdar, Plattenhardt; 

Strikers: Lukebakio, Ngankam

Leipzig, however, suffered a big setback in their bid for a top-four berth when they were defeated 3-0 at home by Mainz 05 last weekend. However, RB Leipzig kept their title dreams alive on Wednesday evening, with Marco Rose defeating his old team Dortmund 2-0 in the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals.

Leipzig controlled throughout the game, pushing Gregor Kobel into nine saves. Timo Werner and Willi Orban's goals, though, sent Germany's domestic cup holders through to the final four. The Leipzig coach will be eager for his players to fully refocus on their major aim this season, which is to qualify for the Champions League for the fifth consecutive season. Anything less than three points in the capital on Saturday would be a disappointment, especially given that they have lost three of their previous four league games.

RB Leipzig's possible starting lineup:

Goalkeeper: Blaswich; 

Defenders: Simakan, Orban, Gvardiol; 

Midfielders: Henrichs, Laimer, Haidara, Raum; 

Strikers: Szoboszlai, Werner, Olmo

Hertha Berlin has never beaten the visitors at home and will be hoping to change that. They come into the game with a three-game undefeated streak at home, which bodes well.

The visitors have failed to score in three of their past four games, which is the reason for concern. They fared considerably better in the DFB Pokal on Wednesday than they did in the league the previous Saturday, losing 3-0.

RB Leipzig is likely to continue with their dominance over the home team although both teams will score. A scoreline of 1-2, 1-3, or 1-4 is to be expected by the end of the fixture. 

Below are the expert's bets to consider. 

• W2 for 1.728 odds (1xbet);
• BTTS for 1.86 odds (Coinplay);
• Over 2.5 goals for 1.90 odds (bet365)