Cologne vs Hertha Berlin

Relegation-threatened Hertha Berlin take a trip to the RheinEnergieStadion to encounter mid-table Cologne in a must-win Bundesliga fixture.

Last weekend’s 2-1 triumph at high-flying Bayer Leverkusen helped Cologne secure top-flight survival with three games to spare. But the hosts will have to settle for another mid-table finish despite clocking three wins in their last five Bundesliga outings (D1, L1). Seeking back-to-back league victories for the first time in the 2022/23 campaign, the ‘Billy Goats’ can draw confidence from beating Hertha twice in their last three top-flight H2Hs by an identical 3-1 scoreline (L1). However, Steffen Baumgart’s men have seemingly lost their winning touch at the RheinEnergieStadion, going winless in their last five league matches here (D2, L3), which accounts for the longest wait for a home win in the Bundesliga. Scoring has been a massive problem for Cologne in the second half of the season, as they’ve netted a league-low 13 goals since the calendar year flipped to 2023.

But they are still in a far better position than visiting Hertha, who come into proceedings nailed to the bottom of the table despite pulling off a 2-1 home win over fellow relegation rivals Stuttgart last time out. Like their hosts, the visitors have yet to win consecutive Bundesliga matches this season but can find some comfort in arresting a woeful four-game losing league streak against Stuttgart. With five points separating them from safety at the beginning of this round, now would be a perfect time for ‘Die Alte Dame’ to post their first top-flight triumph on the road since a 2-0 win at Augsburg in September. Pal Dardai’s men have since gone winless on 13 straight league travels (D2, L10), conceding 2+ goals in each defeat.