Hertha BSC kick off their 2015/16 Bundesliga campaign on the road at the WWK Arena where they will face hosts, Augsburg. After a disappointing season last year, a win will certainly boost the confidence of Pál Dárdai's players for the first few matches as they look to gain a good position in the standings early.

It certainly will not be an easy task for the visitors though as Augsburg had an other-worldly season, finishing in fifth and earning a spot in the Europa League.  However, they were one of the worst offensive sides in the league, scoring just 43 goals and ending with 0 for their goal differential. This is a rather astounding stat. After 34 match days, Die Fuggerstädter finished the season with exactly the same number of goals scored as goals conceded and still wound up in European competition. 

Form

Both sides advanced to the second round of the DFB-Pokal last weekend via different routes. For the visitors, they had a tricky draw against last year's semi-finalists Arminia Bielefeld. Fortunately, they were able to score two goals through Salomon Kalou and 

Augsburg's cup opponent, Elversberg, had a man sent off in the 90th minute when the match was tied at 1-1. Extra-time was needed and this is where the Bundesliga outfit made their opposition pay as Sascha Mölders and Tobias Werner scored to win the match for their club. 

Key players

Salomon Kalou scored in Hertha's cup match against Arminia Bielefeld, which is huge for the Ivorian-born striker. He scored a measly six goals last season in 21 appearances and to already get on the scoring sheet, albeit against lesser opposition, could prove to be vital for his and his clubs success. Kalou is getting up there in age, already 30 years old but it seems as if he could continue to play for another couple of season should he be able to continue to find his scoring boots. 

21-year-old sensation, Abdul Rahman had a break out season for Augsburg in his debut season with the club and in top flight German football. Even though he is listed as a midfielder, he has played mainly on the left side of the defense and is a target for Jose Mourinho's side as a back up to Cesar Azpilicueta. For a youngster, the Ghanaian native uses his great speed to get back on defense after making moves further up the pitch while still being able to put in a good tackle along the way.

Referee

One of the better referee's in the league, Tobias Welz, will be patroling the action between Augsburg and Hertha today. Mr. Welz primarily refs in the top flight of German football but will do the odd match in the 2. Bundesliga if need be. He also as international experience, both in Euro Qualifiers, and Europa League play; his most recent was a 1-1 draw between Spartak Trnava and PAOK which ended with a PAOK footballer getting sent off towards the end of the match.

That is just his style of refeeing though. Any tackle that might be a little more aggressive will eventually be given a yellow card as a way to keep the match from going out of hand. 

Probable starting XI

Augsburg (4-5-1): Hitz - Verhaegh, Hong, Klavan, Max - Baier - Bobadilla, Feulner, Halil Altintop, Werner - Matavz

Hertha BSC (4-1-3-2): Kraft - Pekarik, S. Langkamp, Lustenberger, Plattenhardt - Skjelbred - Beerens, Darida, Stocker - Hegeler -Kalou