Hamburger SV and 1. FC Köln will face one another on the matchday 20 at the Volksparkstadion.
For the Rothosen, this is an important game for two reasons. One, because of their current form, and two - effzeh just want to extend their unbeaten run against their hosts.
The Billy Goats haven't been beaten by HSV since their Bundesliga return.
HSV struggle, again
Hamburger SV looked to have slipped back into their old ways and a loss against 1. FC Köln could mean that the team, which was almost relegated twice in the last two seasons, will be in the relegation battle again. A positive Hinrunde finished with three winless games against Mainz, Wolfsburg and Augsburg.
The following winter break and training camp were also poor, and the start to the second half of the season also hasn't been great.
Despite a promising 1-2 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich, which was a decent result for the club, the match against VfB Stuttgart one week later was the total opposite.
HSV can take solace from the fact that it only finished 2-1, with the Swabians' new signing, Artem Kravets grabbing the decisive goal. It could have ended 3-0 or 4-0 for the hosts, in a defeat that Lewis Holtby called this match a "collective failure".
Labbadia takes appropriate action
In the pre-match press conference coach Bruno Labbadia mentioned that his team "will go into this meeting with a lot of power and focus". He added that the players "need to create a plan to create chances in this match".
The 49-year-old also took appropriate action by removing Ivo Ilicevic from the squad for the upcoming match. The reason is a dispute with the winger, who will definitely leave the club in summer, and Michael Gregoritsch, who is now injured after Ilicevic tackled him in training.
As a replacement for the 29-year-old, new signing Josip Drmic could feature after he joined Hamburg on loan from Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Billy Goats bursting to get back to winning ways
On the other hand, 1. FC Köln are in ninth after failing to pick up three points in either of their first two matches since the turn of the year.
Against Stuttgart, effzeh lost 1-3 in front of their home crowd. A penalty by Anthony Modeste earned them the lead, but Daniel Didavi, Timo Werner and Christian Gentner turned the game on its head. In Wolfsburg, Modeste once again was the hero. He scored the equaliser to earn them a point after Julian Draxler opened the scoring.
The visitors will be desperate to maintain their unbeaten run over HSV. The Billy Goats have won twice in three matches and drawn the other. A highlight was definitely the 0-2 win from last year, where Marcel Risse scored a brace.
The effzeh are currently in the middle of nowhere - safe from relegation with no European ambitions. To be in the middle of the pack is a good sign, given that it was a similar story last year when they went on to finish in ninth.
Coach Peter Stöger touched on Hamburger SV during his press conference and said: "From the outside looking in, I think we have a similar situation. HSV is an excellent club in a great city. There is a large interest in the club and just like at FC they have to deal with big expectations because of their tradition and history."
Prediction
This match looks set to be an even one; both teams are positioned in mid-table and both want to stay there, so getting points out of this match would be helpful for both. Due to the current form of both, it looks like this tussle will end all-square.