Hertha BSC Berlin vs Hannover 96 preview - Luhukay retains Hertha backing

Hertha Berlin coach Jos Luhukay has been given a vote of confidence ahead of Friday night's visit of Hannover.

The Old Lady have lost three of their last four matches, including defeat to third-tier Arminia Bielefeld in the DFB-Pokal, and find themselves in the bottom half of the Bundesliga table after being beaten by Paderborn last weekend.

Director of sport Michael Preetz admits things are not going according to plan, but insists Luhukay is doing a great job.

"We need more continuity and we need to be more resistant away from home - there's no doubt about it. But we got nine new players in the summer and the squad has got to gel first and we knew this," he told Kicker magazine.

"That process has not ended yet."

Luhukay guided Hertha to promotion back to the top flight of German football and led them to a comfortable safety last season.

He is tied to the club until 2016 and, in spite of the slight dip in form, there are no doubts about his future at the club.

"We spent years looking for a coach who was 100 per cent committed to Hertha, and we have him now and we are going to keep him," Preetz added.

"Luhukay is the right coach for us and, if he wants, he can even extend his contract right away."

Opponents Hannover are in a healthier situation in sixth place, and that - or higher - is where they want to be at the end of the weekend, heading into the international break.

"We want to get the best result possible away from home and keep ourselves in the hunt," said their coach Tayfun Korkut, whose side beat Borussia Dortmund on their last trip away from Lower Saxony.

"But we've got to watch out because Hertha are extremely strong at home, so it's not going to be easy."

Hannover travel without Christian Pander, Miiko Albornoz, Lars Stindl and Leon Andreasen, while Hertha could have Nico Schulz back in their matchday squad after recovering from a thigh injury.