1. FC Köln meet Borussia Dortmund at the RhineEnergie Stadion on Matchday 25, kickoff 18:30 CET on Saturday. The fixture carries weight for Köln after a poor run of results and a club board demand for immediate points. Dortmund travel aiming to stay close to Bayern and protect their position near the top.
Köln under immediate board pressure
Köln have two wins in their last 15 Bundesliga matches and sit two points above the relegation play-off spot with 10 league games remaining. The club board has instructed coach Lukas Kwasniok to obtain four points from the next three matches, an instruction that intensifies scrutiny on Saturday’s result.
Last Friday’s 2-0 defeat at FC Augsburg left the home side with little margin for error. Reported absentees include Malek El Mala, Luca Kilian and Timo Hübers; Alessio Castro-Montes, Jan Thielmann, Joël Schmied and Sebastian Seboulonsen are listed as doubts with muscle problems (availability unclear).
Dortmund’s recent results and fitness issues frame the opposition.
Dortmund’s recent setbacks and injury picture
Dortmund were eliminated from the Champions League by Atalanta and lost 3-2 to Bayern in February. Emre Can is confirmed out for the season with an ACL tear.
There are reported doubts over Niklas Süle, Filippo Mane and Carney Chukwuemeka because of muscular problems; their availability is unclear. Köln lost the reverse fixture 1-0 last October, a recent result that underlines the competitive history between the clubs.
The match on Saturday evening will test Köln’s response to board pressure while Dortmund look to protect their standing in the title race. Team news and final selections will clarify how both sides cope with the fitness lists.
