Hertha v Östersund background
Hertha take on Östersund in a Berliner Olympiastadion with a dual clubs’ fates in Group J already sealed.
• The German team, with usually 4 points from 5 matches, can swell no serve in a competition, given a Swedish side’s entrance European debate is certain to continue into a spring. They can even tip a organisation if they possibly win in Berlin or Athletic Club destroy to take 3 points from their matchday 6 outing to Zorya.
Previous meetings
• Östersund’s initial assembly with German opponents brought a 1-0 home win over Hertha on matchday two, a 22nd-minute chastisement from Iraqi midfielder Brwa Nouri determining a outcome during a Jämtkraft Arena.
• Hertha had won all 3 prior UEFA encounters with Swedish sides, including one during home – a 3-1 feat over Elfsborg in a 1971/72 UEFA Cup.
Form guide
• Hertha have not conceded in any of their final 3 European home games and have mislaid usually one of their final 8 (W4 D3).
• Östersund have a ideally offset divided record in Europe (W2 D1 L2), scoring 6 goals and shipping a same number.
• Östersund are a initial Swedish bar to validate for a knockout proviso of a UEFA Europa League. Four others – AIK, Elfsborg, Helsingborg and Malmö – have competed in a organisation theatre though done no serve progress. Indeed, Östersund have already purebred as many organisation theatre victories (three) as those 4 clubs put together.
• Sixth in Germany final season, Hertha done it by a UEFA Europa League organisation theatre on their many new appearance, in 2009/10, though they were separated by Brøndby in final year’s third subordinate round.
• First-time Swedish Cup winners in 2016/17, Östersund are enjoying an well-developed entrance UEFA campaign, carrying separated Galatasaray, Fola Esch and PAOK during a subordinate proviso and reached a turn of 32 with a diversion to spare.
Links and trivia
• The tour from Ostersund to Berlin is around 1,200km.
• Hertha’s Salomon Kalou was a 2011/12 UEFA Champions League leader with Chelsea.
• This is Hertha’s 96th UEFA game – and Östersund’s 12th.
• Östersund resolved their 2017 Swedish Allsvenskan debate on 5 November. They finished fifth, 14 points behind champions Malmö; it is a top final fixation in a club’s history.
• Östersund goalkeeper Aly Keita turns 31 a day after this game.
• Suspended for subsequent compare if booked: Fouad Bachirou, Ronald Mukiibi (Östersund).
The coaches
• Englishman Graham Potter has helped drive Östersund from a Swedish fourth tier to a UEFA Europa League given holding a reins in 2011. He played in England’s reduce leagues with teams including Birmingham, Stoke and West Brom.
• Pál Dárdai assimilated Hertha as a actor in 1997 and done a club-record 366 joining appearances for Die Alte Dame. He coached Hertha’s girl organisation – and his local Hungary’s comparison side – for a time before holding a categorical pursuit during a Berlin bar in 2015.