Five facts about Hertha BSC's match at Hannover 96
Second-division soccer team Hertha BSC wants to start the race to catch up after the international break. A tough task awaits them on Friday at Hannover 96 (18:30/Sky), who are fourth in the table. The Berliners are in twelfth place and five points behind the Lower Saxons.
Offensive power: Both teams are among the most prolific scorers in the league. Hannover have already scored 26 goals, tied for top spot with HSV. Hertha's 24 goals are the fourth most, together with St. Pauli and Düsseldorf.
Reminder I: Hertha attacker Fabian Reese shone in his last competitive match against 96. On matchday 34 of the pre-season, he scored one goal and provided three assists in a 5-1 win for Holstein Kiel.
Reminder II: The last league encounter in Hannover was in the Bundesliga. Hertha won 2-0 in December 2018, with Pal Dardai also sitting on the Berlin bench at the time - in his first term of currently three.
From the spot: No team in the second division gets as many penalties as Hannover. Eight in 13 games so far. Lower Saxony have converted all of them (Cedric Teuchert six times, Marcel Halstenberg twice). Hertha have taken three penalties in the league so far. Fabian Reese and Haris Tabakovic each scored one, but the latter missed against Kiel.
Beacons: Hertha's central defense has brains. Marc Oliver Kempf has won the most header duels in the Bundesliga 2 (61). Captain Toni Leistner is in fifth place (47). The best Hannover player is Phil Neumann (37).
Hertha BSC faces a challenging match against Hannover 96 in the Bundesliga 2, as they aim to close the gap in the standings (Hanover 96 are currently in fourth place, while Hertha is in twelfth). This encounter holds significance for both teams, given their prolific scoring records in the league; Hannover has scored 26 goals, tied for the most with HSV, while Hertha has 24 goals, placing them fourth in terms of goals scored (St. Pauli and Düsseldorf also share this number).
Source: www.dpa.com
