VfB Stuttgart 1-1 Hertha Berlin
Goals: 1-0 Kalajdzic (45'+1), 1-1 Netz (82')

Stuttgart welcomed Hertha to the Mercedez-Benz Arena without the two players - Gonzalo Catsro and Marc-Oliver Kempf - who had fired them to a 2-0 victory in October's reverse fixture. The Swabians nonetheless clicked into gear early, with Wataru Endo forcing a save from Rune Jarstein in the visiting goal. Kalajdzic, playing in place of another injured Stuttgart protagonist, Nicolas Gonzalez, then scuffed a good chance wide of the far post on the half-hour, before Erik Thommy flashed a free-kick straight into Berlin's wall. Philipp Förster thought he should have had a penalty towards the end of the half after a challenge from Omar Alderete, but referee Harm Osmers' whistle stayed in his pocket. After sending another effort wide, Kalajdzic beat Jarstein with a header from a Borna Sosa free-kick, though, and Stuttgart carried a deserved 1-0 lead into the break.

The early second-half traffic flowed in the same direction as the first, and Sosa could have afforded a shot on goal himself instead of squaring a pass which was then cleared by Atakan Karazor. Pal Dardai sent winter arrivals Sami Khedira and Nemanja Radonjic on for the final half hour - the former making his 100th Bundesliga appearance against his first club - and their introduction gave their side a boost, Matheus Cunha drawing a free-kick soon after which ultimately came to nothing. Hertha had a good spell of possession late in the second period, and they got a well-earned equaliser when 17-year-old Netz benefitted from his own mis-control and tapped the ball home into an empty net.

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