Cologne vs Hertha Berlin 9/29/19 Preview

The German Bundesliga heads to the Rein Energie Stadion on September 29, 2019 for a match between Cologne and Hertha Berlin.

Cologne

FC Koln or FC Cologne was founded in 1948. They won the Bundesliga 2 during the 2018/19 season, thus earning an immediate promotion to the top flight one year after suffering relegation. This is a club which has finished as runners-up five times in the Bundesliga 1 and a squad which has captured the Bundesliga title twice in 1964 and 1978.

FC Cologne was crowned as German football champions in 1962 and they are also four-time winners of the DFB-Pokal.  When it comes to the 2.Bundesliga, FC Cologne has won it four times, including the triumph last season. The team is dubbed as the Billy Goats because it has a  male goat mascot named Hennes, who is named after veteran FC player and manager Hennes Weisweiler.

The Billy Goats are ranked 12th in the Bundesliga in Goal Difference at -2 goals. The club has scored a total of four goals so far this season ( 9th overall ) with two of those goals assisted ( tied for 14th overall ). On the defensive end of the floor, Cologne has conceded a total of six goals this season ( tied for 11th overall ).

Forwards Anthony Modester and Dominick Drexler have scored one goal each this season. Midfielder Ellyes Skhiri has also found the back of the net early in the season. Skhiri also owns Cologne’s two assists this season. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Timo Horn has allowed six goals with seven saves on the season.

Hertha Berlin

Hertha BSC was founded in 1892 and they were one of the founding members of the German Football Association in 1900. When the Bundesliga was founded in 1963, they were the reigning German champions and were an inaugural member of the new league.  Hertha Berlin finished the 2018-19 Bundesliga season 11th in the final table, finishing with a record of 11 wins, 10 draws and 13 losses.

This club was crowned as the German championship in 1930 and 1931 and they also finished as runners-up in five different seasons. In Bundesliga competition, the Old Lady has won thrice and are the last team other than Bayern Munich to win the Bundesliga title. They were also group winners of the UEFA Intertoto Cup five times and semifinalists in the UEFA Cup in 1978-79.

Hertha Berlin has a -6 Goal Difference which puts them at 17th in the Bundesliga. They have scored only two goals this season, tied for 17th overall. On the defensive end of the field, Hertha Berlin has conceded 8 goals which puts them at 15th overall in the entire league. Their two assists are tied for 14th in the entire Bundesliga.

Dodi Lukebakio and Marko Grujic have scored the two goals for Hertha Berlin this season. Ondrej Duda and Vedad Ivesivic have the two assists for the squad this season. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Rune Jarstein has allowed 8 goals this season and has a total of seven saves for Hertha Berlin.

Who Wins?

Cologne is ranked 16th in the Bundesliga with a 1-0-4 SU record on the season. Cologne is coming off back to back losses to Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayern Munich, losing both matches by an aggregate score of 0-5. On the other hand, Hertha Berlin is currently 15th in the league right now with a record of 1-1-3 SU. They snapped a three-match losing streak by beating Paderborn 2-1 for their first win of the season. Cologne is the soccer betting favorite to win this matchup.

Head to head, Hertha Berlin has lost just twice in their last 10 meetings. Hertha Berlin is 7-1-2 SU in their last 10 meetings. These teams last met in April 14, 2018 with Hertha Berlin defeating Cologne 1-0 at home. Hertha Berlin heads to this match in better form after beating Paderborn in their last match. However, Cologne has shown better defensive form this season. These are two struggling teams right now and although Hertha Berlin has dominated their head to head matchup, I think Cologne has gotten better since they last played. I’m going with a draw here as their last three matches were decided by an aggregate of one goal. Prediction: Draw

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