Hertha Berlin have appointed Friedhelm Funkel as their new coach less than a week after Lucien Favre was dismissed.

The former Eintracht Frankfurt boss, who stepped down from the Hessen club in the summer, begins work immediately on the eve of Hertha's next Bundesliga clash with league leaders Hamburg on Sunday.

Hertha have lost their last six Bundesliga matches and currently lie at the foot of the standings with just three points from the first seven matches of the season.

Funkel will probably have little influence on the team selection for tomorrow's match with Karsten Heine, who had taken over on an interim basis, likely to lead the team against Hamburg before returning to his job as youth-team coach.

Funkel will be officially presented at a press conference on Saturday afternoon.