Erling Braut Haaland’s final game for Borussia Dortmund comes at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday, with Hertha Berlin the visitors in the Bundesliga encounter.
The hosts have nothing left to play for after securing second place with a win last weekend, but the away side will be out to confirm their survival after failing to do so following defeat last time out.
Following his confirmed move to Manchester City in midweek, Haaland will be out to end his Dortmund career on a high on Saturday, before completing the transfer to the Etihad Stadium over the summer.
Despite starting at bottom-of-the-table Greuther Furth last weekend, the Norwegian striker failed to get himself on the scoresheet, but a brace from Julian Brandt, and a third from Felix Passlack, sealed a 3-1 victory for Marco Rose’s side nonetheless.
That win sealed the runners-up spot for BVB, having come up short in the title race with Bayern Munich once again this season.
Like performances in recent weeks, an injury-hit Dortmund side were far from their best against the minnows however, with the number of opportunities created by both sides in front of goal being fairly equal.
The result was perhaps the most important aspect for Rose though, who has found himself under pressure in the hotseat on a number of occasions this season.
Therefore, the former Borussia Monchengladbach boss will be out to end a disappointing campaign with victory on the final day, and in the process, will be looking to erase the memories of a poor 4-3 defeat suffered to promoted side VfL Bochum last time out in front of the BVB faithful.
Whilst the hosts have very little left to play for in Saturday’s encounter, the visitors continue the fight for survival at the wrong end of the Bundesliga table.
Last Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to Mainz 05 effectively dragged the Old Lady back into the relegation dogfight, with Stuttgart’s shock point at Bayern a day later meaning that next season’s league status is yet to be confirmed.
Felix Magath’s side do find themselves with a commanding advantage over Die Roten heading into the final matchday, with three points separating the two sides in the fight to avoid the relegation playoff spot.
However, with a significantly worse goal difference than their fellow strugglers, Hertha’s job is far from complete ahead of a daunting trip to Signal Iduna Park.
A win for Stuttgart at home to FC Koln, combined with a defeat for Hertha in Dortmund, would see Saturday’s visitors drop into the playoff place ahead of a nervy two-legged tie to secure their survival against a promotion-chasing 2.Bundesliga outfit.
The former Wolfsburg and Fulham boss will be looking to avoid any doubts, and instead be expectant of his side to get the job done by picking up at least a point against BVB.
With a 10-point tally from the 21 available being recorded since he took charge back in March, Hertha’s chances are certainly higher compared to previous struggles under predecessors Tayfun Korkut and Pal Dardai this season, and the visitors will definitely take confidence into the clash following the 3-2 triumph over Dortmund back in December.
Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:
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Hertha Berlin Bundesliga form:
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We say: Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Hertha Berlin
Dortmund may not be firing on all cylinders, and may well be without a number of first-team players on Saturday, but they should still manage to grind out a fairly comfortable victory.
Haaland will be determined to finish the campaign by adding his name on the scoresheet, and it is likely that he will do so against a Hertha side that will probably have to rely on results elsewhere to confirm their survival on the final day.