Hertha Berlin is a Bundesliga side based in the German capital of Berlin. The club, also commonly known as Hertha BSC, was formed in 1892, and was one of the founding members of the German Football Association in 1900. It has two German championships (before the inception of the Bundesliga) to its name.
In the last two decades or so, Hertha have been able to cement a place in the Bundesliga, with their last relegation occurring in the 2011-12 season. The 2003-04 season saw Hertha involved in some last-day drama, as they missed out on Champions League football by failing to beat Hannover 96 on the final day. There was a dramatic swing in fortunes between the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons, where Hertha finished fourth in the previous season, having been in the title race till the penultimate weekend, before plummeting and ending up last the following season, thus suffering relegation. Hertha have also qualified for the UEFA Europa League on multiple occasions in recent years, but have failed to make it out of the group stage in their last two European campaigns.
Hertha play at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, which was originally constructed for the 1936 Berlin Olympics. While it was thought to have a capacity of over 100,000 at that time, renovations over time gradually reduced this to its current capacity of just a shade under 75,000. The Olympiastadion is one of the most recognizable and prestigious venues in world sport, having hosted the final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, while it also hosts the final of the DFB-Pokal every year. Hertha’s colours are blue and white, as seen on the club crest and the home kit. Its major rivalry is with fellow Berlin club Union Berlin, which has recently been reignited with Union’s promotion to the Bundesliga.
The first-team squad is currently managed by Alexander Nouri. The German played for the likes of Werder Bremen, Seattle Sounders and VfL Osnabruck, before managerial roles at Werder and Ingolstadt. He took charge of the club in February 2020 on an interim basis, having served as assistant coach to previous manager Jurgen Klinsmann. The current club captain is the Bosnian international Vedad Ibisevic, who has been at the club since 2016.
Hertha have been disappointing this season, down in 13th place at the time the league was suspended. They are, in fact, two points and two places behind their Berlin rivals Union, while sitting six points clear of the relegation playoff spot.
