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Lucien Favre's Borussia Dortmund were only 2 points away from a title win last season, and are strong contenders to pip the reigning champions Bayern Munich in 2019/20. In Gameweek 2 of the 2019/20 Bundesliga they face they travel to Cologne to take on newly-promoted side FC Koln.
As we go into this tie, the pendulum is swinging heavily in favour of the visitors. FC Koln won't go quietly though.
The Bundesliga 2 champions finished last season with a very similar goalscoring record to Dortmund. They scored 84 goals and conceded 47, while Dortmund registered 81 goals and 44 conceded. It speaks volumes of the attacking talent on both sides. As is the case with most Bundesliga teams, FC Koln are adept at counter attacking football and did their best to get a result at Wolfsburg, but were swept away.
This will be FC Koln's first game at home in the Bundesliga this season and the crowd will be behind the side. They may not be able to match Dortmund on quality, but they won't be short on motivation.
Star striker Jhon Cordoba who was missing in the first game as he was serving a suspension carried over form the tail end of last season will also return to provide an extra boost. The 26-year-old was a regular starter for Koln last term and will be a big source of goals for them. His pace could be crucial in deciding how the game plays out for the home side.
Dortmund's flowing attack
Between Paco Alcacer, Marco Reus, Jadon Sancho, Thorgan Hazard, Julian Brandt, and Axel Witsel, Dortmund have enough and more firepower to rely on. This, not considering that Mario Gotze has a phenomenal record against FC Koln, but will most likely be on the bench against them. So will Brandt, but as he showed against Augsburg, he can make quite an impact from the bench.
The pre-match conversation around this game is turning into a discussion of how many Dortmund will get, rather than whether they will win. They should be wary, though, Koln can be a very stubborn side and will be difficult to break down. Dortmund showed a susceptibility early on in the last game to quick counters, which is precisely FC Koln's strength.
Indicators are that Dortmund should win this comfortably, but they will do well to respect their opponents in their own backyard.
Match prediction: FC Koln 1-4 Borussia Dortmund
