Europe (UEFA)
Indonesia
Nigeria

Preview: Borussia Dortmund vs. FC Koln - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 16 March 2023, 17:32
Borussia Dortmund will be aiming to return to winning ways in the Bundesliga when they host FC Koln on Saturday evening.

The visitors, meanwhile, have collected only one point from their last four matches, with Steffen Baumgart's side only seven points clear of relegation danger.

Match preview

At the other end of the table, Dortmund ceded ground to their title rivals Bayern Munich last weekend, with Edin Terzic's side held 2-2 away to Schalke 04 in the Revierderby.

Schalke twice came from behind to equalise after defenders Nico Schlotterbeck and Raphael Guerreiro had provided the visitors with the lead, with Kenan Karaman's strike 11 minutes from time providing the hosts with a crucial point to delight the home fans in attendance at Veltins-Arena.

Having been knocked out of the Champions League by Chelsea four days prior, dropping two points against a relegation-threatened side - and their fiercest rivals - capped a disappointing week for BVB, who had returned from the World Cup in some style by winning 10 consecutive matches in all competitions.

Terzic will be desperate to get back on track against Koln this weekend, especially with Bayern not playing until Sunday against Bayer Leverkusen, handing Die Schwarzgelben an opportunity to move one point clear at the summit on Saturday evening.

With Der Klassiker taking place at Allianz Arena in the first match back after the imminent international break, it could well prove to be a crucial couple of gameweeks in terms of shaping the Bundesliga's title picture.

Koln, meanwhile, have hit a sizable road block in their campaign, with Baumgart's side failing to score in six of their last seven matches after falling to a 2-0 defeat at home to VfL Bochum last time out.

Their opponents had been beaten in 11 of their 12 away games in the Bundesliga this season prior to arriving in Cologne, making The Billy Goats' defeat all the more surprising and disappointing in equal measure.

Any hopes that Baumgart and his players may have had in terms of replicating last season's seventh-placed finish and qualifying for Europe once again have now all but evaporated, with them instead beginning to look nervously over their shoulders at the bottom three.

However, a seven-point gap with only 10 matches remaining represents a healthy one, especially with some important players set to return from injury after the international break, as well as a winnable run of fixtures for Koln to get their teeth stuck into throughout April.

Of course, there is no reason why they can not return from Dortmund with a positive result this weekend, even if the two teams' respective recent form books could barely be any more contrasting.

Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:

W

W

W

W

W

D

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

W

W

W

W

L

D

FC Koln Bundesliga form:

D

W

L

L

D

L

Team News

Dortmund will remain without Karem Adeyemi, Julian Brandt, Youssoufa Moukoko, Mateu Morey, Julien Dranville and Abdoulaye Kamara due to injury, while Emre Can will serve a one-match suspension after receiving his fifth booking of the season in the Revierderby.

Gregor Kobel has been suffering with a hip issue in recent times, but the Switzerland stopper has lost his place in goal to Alexander Meyer in any case, and will likely be named on the bench once again.

After scoring from midfield away to Schalke last weekend, Guerreiro may continue his more advanced role, with either Salih Ozcan or Mahmoud Dahoud primed to replace Can at the base of the hosts' midfield.

Koln, meanwhile, face a similarly lengthy list of absentees, with Jan Thielmann, Kristian Pedersen, Luca Kilian, Mark Uth, Florian Dietz and Sebastian Andersson all expected to be ruled out through injury.

Timo Horn may also remain in Cologne having been suffering with illness this week, with the 29-year-old representing an unnecessary risk to his teammates having lost his place in goal to Marvin Schwabe this season.

Despite losing last time out, Baumgart's lack of options due to injury may mean that the 51-year-old elects to keep faith with the same starting XI, with his only real dilemma being whether to replace David Selke in attack.

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Meyer; Wolf, Sule, Schlotterbeck, Ryerson; Bellingham, Ozcan, Guerreiro; Reyna, Haller, Malen

FC Koln possible starting lineup:

Schwabe; Schmitz, Hubers, Chabot, Hector; Martel, Skhiri; Ljubicic, Maina, Kainz; Selke

We say: Borussia Dortmund 2-1 FC Koln

With both teams missing several key players due to injury, we do not expect either side to be at their best on Saturday, especially having suffered disappointing results last weekend.

However, Dortmund should be able to gain a marginal victory to ensure that they move one point above Bayern prior to their fixture against Leverkusen on Sunday, with Koln needing to pick themselves up after the international break.

Previews by email

Top News

28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Having been plunged into treacherous waters following a four-point deduction by the Premier League, Nottingham Forest welcome Crystal Palace to the City Ground for a bottom-half clash on Saturday afternoon. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has attempted to try to diffuse the hostility towards Raheem Sterling. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea are set to be without at least nine players for Saturday's Premier League clash with Burnley at Stamford Bridge. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea will endeavour to boost their hopes of securing European football for next season when they welcome relegation-threatened Burnley to Stamford Bridge for a Premier League clash on Saturday afternoon. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea and Mauricio Pochettino have jointly revealed that there are five fresh fitness concerns ahead of Saturday's Premier League fixture against Burnley. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both back from the international break with securing a top-six finish on their mind, Napoli and Atalanta BC meet at Stadio Maradona on Saturday. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Bologna centre-back Jhon Lucumi during this summer's transfer window. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly been left 'angered' by Sevilla's use of Hannibal Mejbri. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly willing to sell Donny van de Beek for £8.6m during this summer's transfer window. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk St Johnstone square off against Dundee on Saturday afternoon searching for the win that may provide them with some breathing space above the relegation zone. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk St James' Park is the venue for the return of Premier League football after the international break, as Newcastle United and West Ham United seek to strengthen their top-seven chances on Saturday lunchtime. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Basement side Almeria will be bidding to make it back-to-back victories in Spain's top flight when they welcome Osasuna to Power Horse Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Rangers play host to Hibernian on Saturday afternoon looking for the victory that will move them back to the top of the Scottish Premiership standings. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Motherwell play host to St Mirren on Saturday afternoon knowing that only a win will do if they want to retain hope of breaking into the top six of the Scottish Premiership standings before the cut-off. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Amid a time of tragedy and turmoil at the club, Fiorentina make their return to Serie A duty when AC Milan arrive at Stadio Artemio Franchi on Saturday. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both looking to build on positive results before the international break, Sheffield United and Fulham square off at Craven Cottage in Saturday's Premier League affair. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou could have Micky van de Ven back at his disposal for Saturday's Premier League showdown with Luton Town in North London. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk A Tottenham Hotspur side intending to rise above a desired dotted line host a Luton Town outfit bidding to steer clear of dreaded dotted line in Saturday's Premier League showdown in North London. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur allegedly hold an interest in securing a reunion with Sporting Lisbon winger Marcus Edwards. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams promoted together last year resume contrasting Serie A campaigns on Saturday, as mid-table Genoa host 18th-placed Frosinone at Stadio Luigi Ferraris. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sevilla's battle to stay out of the La Liga relegation zone will continue on Saturday afternoon when they head to the Spanish capital to tackle Getafe. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag is sweating over the fitness of a quintet of doubts for Saturday evening's Premier League clash with Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal are allegedly assessing the capabilities of 10 different strikers ahead of the summer transfer window. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Saturday night's Premier League offering comes from the Gtech Community Stadium, as an under-performing Brentford host top-four outsiders Manchester United. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City winger Jack Grealish and Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford are reportedly not guaranteed to represent England at Euro 2024. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid will be aiming to make it three straight wins in La Liga when they welcome Athletic Bilbao to Bernabeu on Sunday night. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid will be aiming to make it three straight wins in La Liga when they welcome Athletic Bilbao to Bernabeu on Sunday night. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to further stretch their lead at the top of the Eredivisie table and take a step closer to the title, PSV Eindhoven will return from the international break with a trip to NEC on Saturday. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With their quadruple dreams now in the gutter, Liverpool will at least endeavour to strengthen their treble chances when Brighton & Hove Albion arrive at Anfield for Sunday's Premier League contest. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk DC United can end a four-match winless run when they welcome CF Montreal to Audi Field in MLS action on Saturday in the US capital.