1.FC Köln vs. Borussia Dortmund preview: Friends commence battle again

Here’s our preview for the clash of Köln and Dortmund on Matchday 25 of the Bundesliga – with form, team news and predicted lineups included.

1.FC Köln:

In what is considered a clash of two friends this Saturday evening at 18:30 CET, 1.FC Köln host Borussia Dortmund at the RhineEnergie Stadion. As is often the case, loyalties will be left to one side for 90 minutes of battle. 

Köln, who suffered a 1-0 defeat in the reverse fixture last October, will be looking for a drop of revenge. Especially coach Lukas Kwasniok who has been issued an ultimatum by the club board – take four points from the next three games. 

With just two wins in their last 15 Bundesliga outings, the pressure is starting to mount. A mere two points separates them from the relegation play-off spot with just 10 games left in the season and an intense battle at the bottom.

Making an improvement on last Friday’s 2-0 defeat to FC Augsburg would be a start. Despite the stats being fairly balanced, Rodrigo Ribeiro and Alexis Claude-Maurice netted in the second-half as Köln left Bavaria with no reward.

Team news:

Köln’s extensive absentee list leaves Malek El Mala (muscle tear), Luca Kilian (ACL tear) and Timo Hübers (knee) all out. Alessio Castro-Montes, Jan Thielmann, Joël Schmied and Sebastian Seboulonsen are doubts with muscle problems.

Schwäbe should tend to goals with Berg, Cenk and Simpson-Pusey in defence. Maina and Lund ought to play wide of Martel and Krauß, with Kaminski and El Mala adding pace to the attacking third spearheaded by Ache.

Predicted lineup: Schwäbe – Berg, Simpson-Pusey, Cenk – Maina, Martel, Krauß, Lund – Kaminski, El Mala – Ache

Borussia Dortmund:

As for Borussia Dortmund, they too will be looking to bounce back after a pretty dismal February. A decent point in Leipzig was followed up by Champions League elimination to Atalanta and a second defeat to Bayern. 

All is not doom and gloom however, given the 3-2 loss to the Bavarians was well-contested. Nico Schlotterbeck said afterwards that the team “threw everything into it, so there’s nothing to blame” in terms of performance.

Now, Dortmund’s last objective as Niko Kovač stated is “staying close to Bayern in the table in a composed manner”. If they can maintain that six-point cushion in second place, it will be their best league finish since 2022-23. 

BVB will be confident in returning to winning ways, but Köln won’t make it easy. Even if the Westphalians have won four of the last five meetings, the hosts have only lost once by two or more goals on home soil this campaign.

Team news:

Emre Can’s (ACL tear) season is over, while Niklas Süle (hamstring) and Filippo Mane (muscle injury) are doubts. Carney Chukwuemeka is apparently also suffering with muscular issues clouding his availability.

Therefore, Kobel ought to start behind Anton, Schlotterbeck and Bensebaini. Ryerson should return from suspension to join Bellingham, Nmecha and Svensson, while Beier and Brandt support marksman Serhou Guirassy.

Predicted lineup: Kobel – Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini – Ryerson, Bellingham, Nmecha, Svensson – Beier, Brandt – Guirassy