The two sides are going in opposite directions, the visitors on a downward spiral after only winning two of their last five matches as they currently sit in 14th place in the Bundesliga table, inching ever closer to the relegation zone. Meanwhile, in their first season back in the Bundesliga, Köln were in great for before the international break as they sat in 10th, having won three of their last five matches.
However, Köln have found it hard to score at home this season as they've only scored twice, and both goals came against Borussia Dortmund in their win. In the other matches at RheineEnergieStadion, the home side has been held scoreless the other four times. So manager Peter Stöger has his work cut out for him against a Hertha side looking to do everything they can to earn these vital three points. Stöger talked about Hertha's early struggles in his press conference. "It is evident that Berlin has yet to sync as a collective, but when they do find that harmony they could be an excellent team. Our job is to make sure that they do not find that harmony on Saturday."
Speaking of Hertha BSC, the pulled off a very shrewd signing when they signed the ex-Chelsea footballer Salomon Kalou this past transfer window. The 29-year-old Ivorian striker has scored four goals in nine appearances thus far and looks to be getting better each time he puts on the white and blue stripes of Die Alte Dame."I came to Hertha because I was attracted by the challenge. The Bundesliga is a very, very strong league and particularly after the World Cup, there are lots of players who want to come here,'' Kalou said to the Hertha BSC website earlier this week. It's just a matter of time before everything clicks for Hertha and they put together a good stretch of results. There is still plenty of football that is left and a win tomorrow could the start that Jos Luhukay and the rest of his squad so desperately need.
Marcel Risse, Simon Zoller and Patrick Helmes will all be missing this weekend for Köln as they are still recovering from various injuries. According to fc-koeln.de, Kazuki Nagasawa did not practice yesterday as he fell ill and is being monitored and is currently day-to-day. Meanwhile, young Nico Schulz will be returning to the starting eleven of Hertha as they look for different attacking option in the middle of the pitch.
It's a vital game for both sides and expect this match to be very open with lots of chances on goal. Hertha are playing well below expectations this season and with Bayern Munich looming next week, they know how important it is for them to come away with all the points to get some sort of confidence in them. Köln have been flying in their first season back in top flight German football and people will start to wonder if they can sustain their early success for the long haul or if the form that they are currently in temporary. All in all though, this will be a fantastic match that will be a good advertisement for German football.