Hertha Berlin forward Salomon Kalou. (Photo : Getty Images)
Middling squad FC Cologne (7-7-8, 29 points) will try to bounce back from their disappointing loss last week as they face top three team Hertha Berlin SC (10-6-6, 36 points) in a 2015-2016 Bundesliga season game at the RheinEnergieStadion on Friday, Feb. 26th.
Cologne, who had been winless in four of their last six outings, is currently at the ninth spot of the German top flight's standings, two points behind last season's runners-up Wolfsburg and tied in points with newly-promoted squad Ingolstadt.
Die Geissböcke's most recent match was a sorry 0-1 loss in the hands of fifth-running Borussia Monchengladbach on the road at the Stadion im Borussia-Park last Saturday, as per SkySports.
Die Fohlen midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud scored at the 9th-minute mark of the game to give the hosts the early lead that they never relinquished as both teams went scoreless for the rest of the match.
Peter Stöger's boys struggled to find the back of goalkeeper Yann Sommer's net as the defensive pressure of Borussia was too much to handle for the Billy Goats. It didn't help that Cologne had been also out of their form in offense lately.
Meanwhile, Hertha Berlin settled for a 1-1 draw with Wolfsburg also last Saturday at the Olympic Stadium, as reported by ESPN.
The first half of the match and eight minutes into the second was goalless as the two teams are feeling each other's defense until Die Wölfe defender Marcel Schafer broke the deadlock at the 53rd with a left-footed shot from center box.
Hertha's Ivorian striker Salomon Kalou salvaged the point for Pál Dárdai's side as he scored the equalizer right at the hour mark. Both teams were unable to add to their tally with more than 30 minutes to play to share a point in the overall standings.
Die Alte Dame is currently at the far third spot of the league table, 15 points away from second-running Borussia Dortmund.
The predicted result is a tough 2-1 victory for Hertha Berlin as they hold back a hard-fighting Cologne eleven.
Cologne starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Horn; Rudnevs, Maroh, Heintz, Mladenovic; Lehmann, Hector; Osako, Gerhardt, Bittencourt; Modeste
Hertha Berlin starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Jarstein; Weiser, Langkamp, Brooks, Plattenhardt; Haraguchi, Skjelbred, Lustenberger, Kalou; Darida, Ibisevic
