Bundesliga basement dwellers Hertha Berlin will be looking to build on last weekend’s win over relegation rivals Stuttgart when they face Cologne at RheinEnergieStadion on Friday evening.
Hertha ended a run of eight matches without a win as they clinched a crucial 2-1 victory over Stuttgart last time out, although Pal Dardai’s side remain rock bottom of the Bundesliga table – five points from guaranteed safety – with only three games left.
Dardai replaced Sandro Schwarz in the Olympiastadion hot seat on April 16, following a run of 13 defeats in 19 Bundesliga matches. The new manager started his reign with back-to-back losses before overseeing the win against Stuttgart, but Hertha may have left it too late to save their season.
Indeed, the Berlin outfit have managed to win just six of their 31 league games this term, recording seven draws and 18 losses along the way, so it is easy to understand why Hertha find themselves at the bottom of the pile in May.
Although Dardai’s men are only three points shy of the relegation play-off spot, Hertha possess the worst away record in the Bundesliga, having recorded one win, two draws and 12 defeats on their travels this season.
With 10 losses coming in their previous 11 league matches on the road, Hertha Berlin will struggle to continue their mini-revival at RheinEnergieStadion.
Sitting 10 points clear of the relegation zone, Cologne are already planning for a fifth successive season in Germany’s top flight, while manager Steffen Baumgart is looking forward to a third campaign at the helm.
Although the Billy Goats have experienced an inconsistent season – recording nine wins, 11 draws and 11 losses in the Bundesliga – they have picked up enough positive results to stave off relegation.
Cologne head into Friday’s showdown on the back of a hugely impressive 2-1 victory at Bayer Leverkusen, which ended Die Werkself’s 14-game unbeaten streak across all competitions.
Better still, the Billy Goats have won three of their last five matches, with 3-1 victories over Augsburg and Hoffenheim preceding last weekend’s triumph against Leverkusen, putting them in a strong position to finish the campaign on a high.
It is worth noting, however, that Hertha Berlin claimed a 2-0 win over Cologne back in November. That said, the Billy Goats were unbeaten in five meetings with Hertha prior to that loss, notching three wins and two draws between 2020 and 2022.
Both sides are dealing with multiple injury problems at the moment, with Sebastian Andersson, Mark Uth, Florian Kainz and Florian Dietz all sidelined for Cologne.
On the flip side, Hertha Berlin will be without Kelian Nsona for the remainder of the campaign as he continues to recover from an ACL injury, while Marc-Oliver Kempf and Marco Richter are also expected to miss the trip to Cologne.
Bundesliga fans in the UK can watch the match via the Sky Sports app.
Expert Insight: Having lost 10 of their last 11 away league outings, Hertha Berlin must produce a massive performance to get anything from Friday’s clash. Of course, Dardai’s men are fighting for their lives, but they will struggle to get the better of Cologne, who have taken 10 points from their previous five matches.
Bundesliga