Matchday 31 in the Bundesliga concludes with a huge relegation battle at the Olympiastadion on Sunday afternoon, with Hertha Berlin hosting Stuttgart.

The hosts breathed new life into their survival bid with a narrow victory last time out, which saw them leapfrog their visitors after they played out a goalless draw.

Match preview

Recently-appointed Hertha boss Felix Magath made it two wins from four games in charge by defeating fellow strugglers Augsburg 1-0 last weekend, with Suat Serdar netting the only goal of the game shortly after half time.

The victory was certainly unexpected, but was the perfect response to a humbling 4-1 defeat to city rivals Union Berlin on home soil just a week earlier.

Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the performance for the experienced manager was his side's unusual defensive solidarity, which resulted in only their fifth clean sheet in the Bundesliga this campaign.

The Old Lady looked set for a disastrous relegation to the 2.Bundesliga prior to their hard-fought victory in Augsburg, with little fight and character being on display for much of the campaign, but hopes have drastically increased as a result of the win.

As mentioned above, those crucial three points saw Hertha leapfrog Sunday's opponents Stuttgart into 15th place, pushing their visitors down into the relegation playoff spot.

However, with just one point separating the two sides, and a narrow three-point gap keeping them out of the automatic relegation zone, another positive result is desperately needed on Sunday to ensure they are not dragged back into immediate danger in an instant.

Meanwhile, Stuttgart's hard-fought point at Mainz 05 last weekend saw them drop a place in the table at the expense of Hertha's win.

Very few clear-cut chances were created by either side at the Opel Arena, but a solid defensive performance saw Die Roten come away with an impressive point from a difficult venue.

Despite dropping into the relegation playoff spot as a result, the draw can be seen as a positive one for sure, especially when it extended their revival in form in recent weeks.

Following a dismal run of seven defeats and two draws either side of the new year, Pellegrino Matarazzo's side have since bounced back to pick up a healthy return of nine points from the following six games, with the sole defeat during that run coming against second-placed Borussia Dortmund.

However, draws are unlikely to be enough to keep Sunday's visitors in the top flight come May, so three points in the capital could well provide a huge boost in their survival bid, especially considering one of their remaining three fixtures to follow this weekend's trip comes at league leaders Bayern Munich on the penultimate matchday.

Although, hopes of a win in this massive relegation battle will remain low, with the 2-0 victory at struggling Wolfsburg back in December remaining Stuttgart's only victory in 15 Bundesliga games on the road this campaign.

Team News

Following an impressive display in last weekend's win, in what was only his second appearance in three months, Kevin-Prince Boateng looks set to be included in the starting 11 once again for Hertha on Sunday.

The absence of Stevan Jovetic through injury, and the lack of form from Ishak Belfodil, certainly help the 35-year-old's claim for a starting spot though, with Davie Selke likely to join him up front once again.

Marco Richter's fifth yellow card of the season last weekend was one of the few negatives for Magath to endure, with the winger now set to serve a one-match suspension as a result.

First-choice goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow remains unavailable along with Rune Jarstein, so Marcel Lotka will continue in between the posts.

As for the visitors, long-term-absentees Mohamed Sankoh and Silas Katompa Mvumpa remain unavailable, with Nikolas Nartey and Naouirou Ahamada joining them on the sidelines.

Daniel Didavi and Atakan Karazor are also labelled as doubts, with the latter now suffering from COVID-19 after missing last weekend's draw through suspension.

However, Matarazzo has received some positive news regarding the fitness of a trio of players, with the return of Wataru Endo being a welcome boost alongside the availability of Orel Mangala and Hiroki Ito, with the latter duo recovering from knocks suffered against Mainz.

Hertha Berlin possible starting lineup:
Lotka; Pekarik, Boyata, Kempf, Plattenhardt; Tousart, Ascacibar; Darida, Serdar; Selke, Boateng

Stuttgart possible starting lineup:
Muller; Stenzel, Mavropanos, Anton, Sosa; Mangala, Endo, Fuhrich; Tomas, Kalajdzic, Marmoush

We say: Hertha Berlin 1-1 Stuttgart

With both sides looking to tighten up at the back in the search of vital points, and particularly with so much riding on this game, we can see it being a tight encounter to begin with.

The game might open up in the second half as both sides push for a crucial three points in their fight for survival, but it is difficult to see the two being separated when it would be so fatal to lose.

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