FC Koln will endeavour to boost their Bundesliga survival hopes when they welcome Werder Bremen to RheinEnergieStadion on Friday night.
The two teams meet for the first time since September last year when Bremen came from behind to win 2-1 on home soil.
Match preview
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Since suffering a heavy 4-0 home defeat to Borussia Dortmund at the end of last month, Koln have shown signs of turning a corner in recent weeks as they have accumulated five points in their last three games, with a 2-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt sandwiched between two 1-1 draw away against Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim.
Last weekend, the Billy Goats were on course to claim three crucial points at Hoffenheim when teenager Max Finkgrafe scored a stunning 79th-minute free kick – his first goal in the Bundesliga – but the contest ended in heartbreaking fashion as Andrej Kramaric snatched a point for the hosts with a 94th-minute equaliser.
Koln's five-year stay in the Bundesliga remains under threat as they occupy the relegation playoff position heading into the final third of the campaign, sitting four points above the bottom two and five points adrift of 15th-placed Union Berlin, who beat Wolfsburg last time out.
With challenging games against Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen on the horizon, Timo Schultz will be keen to see his side come out on top in an important fixture against a Bremen outfit whom they have had plenty of success against over the years.
Indeed, Koln have picked up more Bundesliga points at home against Bremen that against any other team and have not lost any of their last 11 league meetings with the River Islanders at RheinEnergieStadion, most recently securing a thumping 7-1 home victory in January last year – their biggest top-flight win for over 30 years.
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Werder Bremen's three-match winning streak and seven-game unbeaten league run came to an end when they suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Heidenheim last weekend – their first loss since the turn of the year.
Former Bremen man Jan-Niklas Beste scored and assisted Lennard Maloney in the opening 18 minutes before Romano Schmid pulled one back just a minute later, but his header proved to be only a consolation as the River Islanders were unable to net an equaliser.
Ole Werner's side were sitting just two points above the relegation zone in early December, but their strong run of form prior to the defeat against Heidenheim helped them climb up to 10th place. Fears of the drop are now a distant memory as they now sit 10 points clear of Friday's opponents Koln, while they are only two points behind Freiburg in seventh spot.
Bremen had one of the worst away records in the division at the halfway stage of the season, but they have since accumulated eight points from their last four matches on the road, including back-to-back 1-0 wins at Bayern Munich and Mainz 05 – the only previous time they have won three Bundesliga games in a row was under former boss Otto Rehhagel back in 1981-82.
The River Islanders merely need to avoid defeat on Friday to move into the top half of the table and they will fancy their chances of claiming a positive result against Koln, as they have only lost one of their last six meetings with the Billy Goats.
Team News
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Koln trio David Selke (foot), Mark Uth (knee) and Luca Waldschmidt (broken leg) are all sidelined with injuries, while Julian Chabot is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
The absence of Chabot and potential absence of fellow first-choice centre-back Timo Hubers – who missed the last match through illness – could see Luca Kilian retain his spot and partner Dominique Heintz in the heart of the defence.
Finkgrafe sustained a knock in the closing stages against Hoffenheim, but the left-back should be fit to feature on Friday, while Jan Thielmann – who scored his first and only goal of the season in Koln's last home match a fortnight ago – is set to be tasked with leading the line once again.
As for Werder Bremen, Leon Opitz (ankle), Amos Pieper (ankle) and Milos Veljkovic (knee) all remain in the treatment room, while Niklas Stark is doubtful after coming off in the first half against Heidenheim with a knock.
Mitchell Weiser has missed the last three games with a groin problem and will be assessed ahead of kickoff, as will Leandro Bittencourt and Naby Keita who have been dealing with illnesses.
January signing Julian Malatini could be handed his first start in the back three if Stark is not deemed fit to play, while Justin Njinmah – who scored in the reverse fixture against Koln – is set to continue in attack with top scorer Marvin Ducksch.
FC Koln possible starting lineup:
Schwabe; Schmitz, Kilian, Hubers, Finkgrafe; Martel, Huseinbasic; Alidou, Ljubicic, Kainz; Thielmann
Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:
Zetterer; Malatini, Friedl, Jung; Lynen; Agu, Schmid, Stage, Deman; Njinmah, Ducksch
We say: FC Koln 2-2 Werder Bremen
Goals at both ends are to be expected on Friday as the net has ripped four times on average in the last six meetings between these two teams.
Bremen got the better of Koln five months ago and their recent away form bodes well heading to North Rhine-Westphalia, but we believe that the resurgent hosts will do enough to claim a share of the spoils.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
