Two of the German Bundesliga's poorest performers of last season meet in the final match of the opening weekend at the RheinEnergieStadion on Sunday.

FC Koln only survived thanks to a second-leg triumph in the relegation playoff, whilst Hertha Berlin had a particularly poor season down at the wrong end of the table themselves.

Match preview

Koln begin the new campaign with a new manager at the helm - Steffen Baumgart has been acquired from 2.Bundesliga side SC Paderborn.

Previous permanent manager Markus Gisdol was sacked back in April, with Friedhelm Funkel given the job until the end of the season to save the club from relegation.

Baumgart will be tasked with bringing some stability to a club that has jumped between the top two divisions and hovered around the relegation places in the Bundesliga for several years, although he can only dream of achieving the miracle of the 2016-17 season, when Koln unexpectedly finished in fifth.

After winning three of their final six matches under the interim manager Funkel, followed by a 5-2 aggregate win over Holstein Kiel in the relegation playoff, the hosts have prepared for the opener in promising fashion.

Six pre-season friendlies were played and a completely unbeaten schedule with four wins, including a 3-2 victory over Bayern Munich, will give them plenty of reasons to be hopeful.

Last weekend also saw Koln progress through the first round of the DFB-Pokal, although penalties were required after a 1-1 draw against amateur side FC Carl Zeiss Jena, despite a strong lineup being fielded.

In terms of transfers, the home side probably started the window with a stronger squad than the one that heads into the opener on Sunday.

Young stars Ismail Jakobs and Sebastiaan Bornauw have departed for decent transfer fees, with incomings being restricted to only free transfers so far. However, the capture of forward Mark Uth will be a lift after a successful temporary spell at the club in 2019-20.

Hertha Berlin manager Pal Dardai leads his side out in his first full season in charge of the club.

After initially failing to stop the rut in his first few games following his appointment in January, Dardai did manage to put together a better spell towards the end of the campaign.

A single defeat in Hertha's final nine games of last season is a platform to build on following an extremely disappointing year as a whole for a side that has invested heavily in recent years.

The Berlin side's net transfer spend is currently positive this summer, despite the arrivals of four impressive signings in the form of Suat Serdar, Marco Richter, Stevan Jovetic and Kevin-Prince Boateng, who returns to his boyhood club for a second spell.

Preparations over the summer have certainly given hope to the supporters for the upcoming season, after a six-match unbeaten run across the pre-season schedule. Amongst the three wins was an entertaining 4-3 victory away at Liverpool, with new signings Jovetic and Serdar amongst the goalscorers.

The first round of the DFB-Pokal followed last weekend and Hertha saw off third-tier side SV Meppen with an injury-time winner from Davie Selke in a 1-0 win.

Team News

Koln head into Sunday's opener with almost a full squad available for selection, with the exception being a hip injury for Jannes Horn ruling the defender out.

This means debuts for the new signings can be expected - in particular Uth is expected to make another debut for the club in the forward line, whilst Timo Hubers is expected to start after his arrival from Hannover 96.

Hertha's talisman of last season Matheus Cunha arrives back at the club fresh from a gold medal win at this summer's Olympics with Brazil. His busy schedule means he is not expected to be fit enough to start, which comes as a blow to the away side.

Veteran goalkeeper Rune Almenning Jarstein is the only other concern, and he is expected to miss out completely due to a lack of fitness.

Debuts will be expected for star arrivals Serdar and Jovetic, whilst another debut is expected in midfield for Boateng on his return to the club.

FC Koln possible starting lineup:
T Horn; Ehizibue, Hubers, Czichos, Schmitz; Ozcan; Thielmann, Hector, Kainz; Duda, Uth

Hertha Berlin possible starting lineup:
Schwolow; Pekarik, Stark, M Dardai, Plattenhardt; Boateng, Ascacibar, Serdar; Lukebakio, Jovetic; Selke

We say: FC Koln 1-1 Hertha Berlin

A tight affair is to be expected between two sides similarly matched last season, despite greater expectations on the shoulders of the visitors. We say a 1-1 draw to finish off the opening weekend of the new Bundesliga season, as both sides look to break into their stride.

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