Hertha Berlin currently occupy third place in the Bundesliga with a four-point lead over FC Schalke 04 in fourth. - © © imago / Matthias Koch
Hertha Berlin currently occupy third place in the Bundesliga with a four-point lead over FC Schalke 04 in fourth. - © © imago / Matthias Koch

Final stretch form check: Hertha Berlin

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The 2015/16 Bundesliga campaign is drawing to a close, but with seven rounds of matches remaining, all 18 teams still have plenty to play for as they look to get the most out of one of the most exciting seasons in the history of Germany’s top flight.

Overview: click here for each club's form check

But how are things shaping up heading into the final stretch and how good are each sides chances of reaching their targets? bundesliga.com puts Hertha Berlin under the spotlight.

Story so far

    Hertha have undoubtedly been the surprise package of the current campaign. At this time last season the capital city club were just six points off the bottom of the table, but now find themselves in pole position to clinch the Bundesliga's final automatic UEFA Champions League qualification spot.Pal Dardai's charges, who have lost just twice in the last 13 outings, have built their success on a solid backline. Only FC Bayern München (13) and Borussia Dortmund (26) have conceded fewer goals than Hertha (27) in 2015/16.Up front, the Alte Dame have improved compared to the previous campaign and added a clinical edge to their goalscoring, helped by Vedad Ibisevic and Salomon Kalou finding form and combining for 21 goals.

Infographic: the European candidates' run-ins

Still to play for

    Even if no one at the club wants to discuss it, qualification for the Champions League and a first return to Europe since 2000 is well within Hertha's reach considering they currently boast a four-point lead over Schalke.Several sides below them in the standings would fall short of their targets were they not to finish in the top four. Hertha have taken points off of Schalke, VfL Wolfsburg and Bayer 04 Leverkusen already this season, while a win over Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 28 would represent a significant step towards achieving European dreams.However, should things taken a turn for the worse and result in Hertha finishing in a UEFA Europa League qualification spot, it would take nothing away from how much the club has achieved in Dardai's first full season in charge.

Read: all to play for in the top-flight's final stretch