2. Bundesliga Preview: 1. FC Magdeburg vs. Hertha BSC | OneFootball

Hertha BSC hope to end their three-game winless run when they play away at Magdeburg on Sunday. The hosts are currently in the relegation playoff spot, but they have won back-to-back games in front of their home support.

Stefan Leitl’s men looked to join the race for promotion when they picked up 13 points from five games until the narrow defeat at the hands of fellow sleeping giants Kaiserslautern ended their dream.

Magdeburg’s own defeat in Nürnberg also ended their run of scoring two or more goals in four successive games. They somehow scored the same number of goals as Schalke, but conceded the third most in the division.

And this fixture rarely lacked goals. In particular, Magdeburg’s 6-4 win in the 2023/24 season produced one of the best games of 2. Bundesliga. The hosts took all three points despite Hertha taking the lead on four different occasions in a true classic.

It was a routine win for Magdeburg in the reverse fixture as former Bayern youngster Alexander Nollenberger and substitute Rayan Ghrieb scored in the final 15 minutes. Magdeburg have never won back-to-back games against the capital city club.

Team News

The big news for the hosts is the return of the league’s top-scorer Mateusz Żukowski from suspension. On the other side, Paul Seguin will be absent after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season in Hertha’s home defeat to Kiel.

Predicted Lineups

Magdeburg: Reimann ©; Bockhorn, Mathisen, Geschwill, Musonda; Gnaka, Ulrich, Michel; Tachie, Żukowski, Atik

HBSC: Ernst; Zeefuik, Gechter, Dardai, Karbownik; Cuisance, Sessa; Winkler, Brekalo, Reese ©; Schuler