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Berlin (dpa) - After training, Pal Dardai wanted to go to the family and recharge his batteries for the prestige derby for the Berlin city championship.
«I am very satisfied and a happy person.
So far everything is going optimally for the weekend, ”said the Hertha BSC coach two days before the duel with 1. FC Union in the infamous, but this time almost deserted stadium An der Alten Försterei.
Dardai was not yet in office in the 3-1 first leg win, his counterpart Urs Fischer was.
First of all, he's happy to meet and get to know the Hertha coach at all.
On Easter Sunday (6 p.m. / Sky), both coaches and both teams are concerned with more than sober three points: Hertha is playing against relegation, Union is fighting for a European cup spot in its second season in the Bundesliga.
Union and Hertha - these are also the two football worlds in the capital.
The Eiserne are considered a cult club, Hertha has been struggling with image, claim and reality for years.
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The fact that the Unioners are now also where the Herthaners actually think they are, makes the derby a bit more piquant and explosive.
"We know that it will be complicated for us to stand in front of Union at the end of the day," said sports director Arne Friedrich - Koepenickers have 14 points more before the 27th matchday.
The appearances in March make the blue-whites courageous and optimistic.
Above all, the 3-0 lead against Bayer 04 Leverkusen before the international break was good - but the one-point advantage over the relegation place is not a cushion.
With the game against Union comes a "thick board", as Friedrich puts it.
The hosts are unbeaten for twelve home games in a row, and the 5-2 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt before the break was also a lesson for the Unionern.
They shouldn't get involved in an open exchange of blows, said Fischer.
The Swiss wanted to be as usual, but certainly not to accept a challenge before this game.
"You'd rather be saying things after a derby than having to listen to them," he said.
She still worries that he lost 3-1 in the first leg with his professionals.
That was still in their heads, he said: "I think it's a good thing that we still have a little to make up for."
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In the first leg, Max Kruse sustained a muscle injury and was out for weeks.
The 33-year-old is fit and decisive for the next duel.
"He has ideas, he has creativity," emphasized Fischer.
On the other hand, in ex-world champion Sami Khedira, Hertha’s hopefuls are returning to the squad after a long injury break.
The fact that the duel has to take place in the otherwise atmospheric Iron Stadium without spectators because of the corona pandemic hardly diminishes the prestige duel, even if the fans would be missing, especially in a derby, said Fischer.
The importance of the game is also known to those professionals who are not from the area or Germany.
"This is a special game, there are emotions, there is rivalry," emphasized Fischer.
Especially considering the constellation with the Unionern in seventh place and Hertha in 14th place.
Nobody would have thought that before the season, ”said Union's former captain and club icon Torsten Mattuschka recently in an interview with“ Bild ”and“ BZ ”.
If Hertha won the derby, “they could make up for a lot of what went wrong so far.
That's why it would be even better if we win.
Then we could have a big mouth, »said Mattuschka.
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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210402-99-65995 / 3
Details about the game on bundesliga.de