By FRANCO PANIZO
Going unbeaten in seven straight matches while recording five shutouts is an impressive feat by any stretch of the imagination, but John Brooks and Hertha Berlin are going to need to come up with big performances if they wish to add to either of those stats.
Hertha Berlin will close out the April part of its schedule on Saturday when it travels to take on Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich in a match-up of two of the hotter teams in Germany right now. Brooks should be in his starting centerback spot in the match, but will need to deliver one of his best outings of the season in order to contain a star-studded attack that includes Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller. A benefit for Hertha Berlin, which has not lost since Feb. 22, is that Bayern is coming off a midweek UEFA Champions League match in which Pep Guadiola started most of his available first-choice players.
In Germany’s second division, Alfredo Morales is aiming to help Ingolstadt stay on track for promotion when it visits Union Berlin on Sunday. Ingolstadt enter the match on a three-game winning streak, and another victory could give the first-placed club as big as a 10-point lead at the top of the table with four games left in the campaign. Morales has played in all but one match for Ingolstadt this season, so it figures that he will again see time in this encounter.
Another match worth watching will take place in the English Premier League on Sunday, as Tim Howard and Everton welcome Manchester United to town. Everton is on a good run of form, unbeaten in its last four matches, but will probably need Howard to deliver against his former club in order to have a shot at defeating a Red Devils side that has also been getting results as of late.
Here is who the Americans Abroad square off with this weekend:
FRIDAY
Andrew Wooten and SV Sanhausen play FC Nurnberg.
Terrence Boyd and RB Leipzig play SV Darmstadt 98. (Boyd is out injured.)
Jonathan Bornstein and Queretaro play Jose Torres and Tigres UANL. (Torres is out injured.)
SATURDAY
DeAndre Yedlin, Brad Friedel and Tottenham Hotspur play Southampton.
Geoff Cameron and Stoke City play Sunderland.
Brad Guzan and Aston Villa play Manchester City.
Jonathan Spector and Birmingham City play Oguchi Onyewu and Charlton Athletic.
Emerson Hyndman and Fulham play Middlesbrough. (Hyndman is out injured.)
Eric Lichaj and Nottingham Forest play Ipswich Town.
Zak Whitbread and Derby County play Millwall. (Whitbread is out injured.)
Danny Williams and Reading play Brentford.
Joe Gyau and Borussia Dortmund play Timmy Chandler and Eintracht Frankfurt. (Gyau is out injured.)
Julian Green and Hamburg SV play FC Augsburg.
John Brooks and Hertha Berlin play Bayern Munich.
Jann George and SpVgg Greuther Furth play Karlsruhe.
Alejandro Bedoya and FC Nantes play Toulouse.
Rubio Rubin and FC Utrecht play Go Ahead Eagles.
Conor O’Brien and FC Magna Wiener Neustadt play SK Sturm Graz.
Gabrial Farfan and Jaguares de Chiapas play Cruz Azul.
Michael Orozco, Herculez Gomez and Puebla play Pachuca.
Edgar Castillo and Atlas play William Yarbrough and Club Leon.
SUNDAY
Tim Howard and Everton play Manchester United.
Gedion Zelalem and Arsenal play Chelsea.
Fabian Johnson and Borussia Moenchengladbach play VfL Wolfsburg.
Alfredo Morales and FC Ingolstadt 04 play FC Union Berlin.
Desevio Payne and FC Groningen play Feyenoord Rotterdam.
Aron Johannsson and AZ Alkmaar play FC Twente.
Zarek Valentin and FK Bodo/Glimt play Sarpsborg 08.
Josh Gatt, Ethan Horvath and Molde FK play Haugesund.
Cole Grossman and Stabaek IF play Lillestrom.
Freddy Adu, Stephen McCarthy and Kuopion Palloseura play PKKU.
Greg Garza, Joe Corona, Paul Arriola, Alejandro Guido and Club Tijuana play Toluca.
Ventura Alvarado and Club America play Chivas de Guadalajara.
MONDAY
Tim Ream and Bolton Wanderers play AFC Bournemouth.
Bobby Wood and FC Erzgebirge Aue play TSV Eintracht Braunschweig.
Heath Pearce and IFK Goteborg play Helsingborg.
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Which of these matches are you most anticipating? How do you see Brooks and Hertha faring against Bayern? Do you see Morales and Ingolstadt picking up three points?
Share your thoughts below.