Second half season start in Paderborn

The second half of the season begins for Hertha BSC on Saturday (08.12.12), with a Bundesliga 2 matchday 18 clash away to SC Paderborn.

The capital city side ended the first half of the season in second place, which at the end of the season would mean automatic promotion. So confidence is high as they approach the season run in: "We are in second place and have earned the right to be there. We haven't conceded many goals and have the best scoring record in the league which is very positive. We are very keen to win our final two games before the winter break, so that we can carry on where we left off when the season resumes", says head coach Jos Luhukay.

Once again the popular Dutchman is unable to pick from a fully fit squad as his team travel to Paderborn on Saturday (08.12.12, 13.00 CET): Pierre-Michel Lasogga is still not match fit after cruciate ligament surgery while Nico Schulz, Maik Franz, Peter Pekarik, Änis Ben-Hatira and Christoph Janker are all ruled out with various injuries. On the good news side, Columbian hitman Adrian Ramos, who missed the 2-1 win at Cottbus last time out with a cold, is fit again and will start at the Benteler-Arena. Sami Allagui has recovered sufficiently from an ankle problem to make the trip to Paderborn.

Memory lane trip for Hertha duo

Midfield ace Marcel Ndjeng is a well known face in Paderborn. Whilst playing for them he made his Bundesliga 2 debut under current Hertha boss Luhukay. In 35 games, Ndjeng scored an impressive nine goals and set up a further ten. That kind of form helped Paderborn avoid relegation that season. The Cameroon international (5 caps) then left Paderborn for Arminia Bielefeld. Luhukay left at the same time. Luhukay knows: "SC Paderborn deserve a lot of respect. They have been able to establish themselves in division two on a shoestring budget. They lost key players like Gonter and Proschwitz, but are still in a creditable mid-table position. They demanded a lot from us as we met them for the first time earlier in the season. They are probably the best side we have faced at home so far, so we are warned."

Hertha BSC is the fifth club where Luhukay and Ndjeng have joined forces. Both clubs have a further thing in common. While Nico Burchert is under contract at SC Paderborn, his brother Sascha is a second string keeper at the capital city club. Sadly a meeting on the pitch will not be happening on Saturday: Nico is recovering from a broken forearm and is not in the squad for the visit of Hertha, while his brother is on the Berlin bench.

Winter sport in Paderborn

Both teams can expect icy conditions on Saturday as the low pressure system named "Johanna" has covered the region with several inches of snow. When the snow falls, some men become kids again. Peer Kluge for instance buried young striker Elias Kachunga's car under a pile of snow. Felix Bastians and Sami Allagui enjoyed a snowball fight while Czech defender Roman Hubnik did a few dives in the white stuff.

Fabian Holland doesn't mind a bit of snow. In fact he said this week: "I like playing in such conditions. Of course some of the lads joke around but it has been like that since childhood." The conditions should not affect Hertha's performance in Paderborn though. Holland: "I don't think the weather can be used as an excuse. All teams have to deal with it. We have the goal of winning our last two games before the winter break!"

Possible line-ups:

SC Paderborn: Lück - Demme, Gulde, Strohdiek, Brückner - Krösche, Zeitz - Naki, Vrancic, Kempe - Yilmaz
Hertha BSC: Kraft - Holland, Lustenberger, Brooks, Ndjeng - Kluge, Niemeyer - Sahar, Ronny, Allagui - Ramos