Hertha Berlin v Zorya background
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Article summary
Without a win in four European games and bottom of Group J with a solitary point, Hertha Berlin will be looking to kick-start their campaign when Zorya visit on matchday four.
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Article body
Defeated 2-1 by Zorya in Lviv on matchday three and bottom of UEFA Europa League Group J with one point, Hertha will require improvement when they renew acquaintance with the Ukrainian club in Berlin's Olympiastadion.
Previous meetings
• The teams met for the first time on matchday three, Zorya taking the points thanks to defender Olexandr Svatok's 79th-minute winner after Hertha's Davie Selke had earlier equalised Silas's opener.
• Hertha's only previous engagement with Ukrainian opposition had been a goalless draw at home to Metalist Kharkiv in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup group stage.
Form guide
• Hertha are without a win in four European games (D1 L3) and have not scored more than one goal in a UEFA home fixture since a 3-1 victory over Brøndby in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League play-offs – a run of six matches.
• Zorya claimed a shock 1-0 victory at Athletic Club on matchday two to end a run of four successive European defeats on the road.
• Sixth in Germany last season, Hertha got through the UEFA Europa League group stage on their most recent appearance, in 2009/10, but were eliminated by Brøndby in last year's third qualifying round.
• Third in the 2016/17 Ukrainian table, Zorya are featuring in their second successive group stage; they were unable to make the UEFA Europa League round of 32 last term, however, failing to win any of their six matches (D2 L4) and scoring just two goals.
Trivia and links
• The journey from Lviv, where Zorya are playing their European home games, to Berlin is around 800km.
• Hertha's Salomon Kalou was a 2011/12 UEFA Champions League winner with Chelsea.
• Hertha's Bosnia and Herzegovina international striker Vedad Ibišević is suspended for this game after collecting a yellow card in each of his team's first three Group J matches.
The coaches
• Pál Dárdai joined Hertha as a player in 1997 and made a club-record 366 league appearances for Die Alte Dame. He coached Hertha's youth team – and Hungary's senior side – for a time before taking the main job at the Berlin club in 2015.
• Yuriy Vernydub has been in charge at Zorya since stepping up from his role as assistant coach in November 2011, leading them to fourth and third-placed finishes in the last two seasons. He was a Russian Cup winner as a Zenit defender in 1999.