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Koln will entertain Borussia Dortmund at the RheinEnergieStadion in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
The hosts are winless in their last four league outings and resumed their league campaign following the winter break with a 1-1 draw against Heidenheim last week. Davie Selke scored in the 29th minute to give Koln the lead and Adrian Beck equalized for Heidenheim, scoring his first goal of the season.
The visitors registered a 3-0 away win over Darmstadt in their first game back after the winter break, breaking a four-game winless run in the league. Julian Brandt broke the deadlock in the 27th minute while Marco Reus and Youssoufa Moukoko added goals in the second half.
The hosts are second from the bottom in the league table with 11 points from 17 games. The visitors are in fifth place with 30 points, trailing league leaders Bayer Leverkusen by 15 points.
Koln vs Borussia Dortmund Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have crossed paths 127 times across all competitions since 1950. The visitors have the better record in these meetings with 52 wins to their name. The hosts have 41 wins in this fixture and 34 games have ended in draws.
- Last season, both teams registered home wins in the Bundesliga. Borussia Dortmund continued that run with a 1-0 home win in the reverse fixture in the campaign opener in August.
- Koln have the worst attacking record in the Bundesliga this season, scoring just 11 times in 17 league games. They are unbeaten in their last three home meetings against Dortmund.
- The hosts have failed to score in four of their last six league outings while conceding six times in that period.
- The visitors have just one win in their last five away games in the Bundesliga. They have lost just once in that period as well, with three games ending in draws.
Koln vs Borussia Dortmund Prediction
The Billy Goats have endured a poor run of form recently with just one win in their last nine league games. They have scored just once in their last four outings, which is a cause for concern. They have just one win in their last 14 home games in the Bundesliga and might struggle here.
Top-scorer Davie Selke suffered a foot injury last week against Heidenheim and is sidelined for at least a month. Luca Waldschmidt is also nursing an injury while Mark Uth is also unlikely to start with a knee issue.
Die Borussen returned to winning ways after six games across all competitions last week and will look to continue that form in this match. Three of their eight wins in the Bundesliga this season have come in the travels. On the flip side, just one of their three losses has come in away games.
Julian Ryerson, Felix Nmecha, and Karim Adeyemi confirmed absentees for them due to injuries. Mats Hummels and Marco Reus missed the training sessions earlier this week along with Emre Can and they face a late fitness test.
Both teams have some notable absentees for the match, which might impact their performance here. Nonetheless, considering the visitors' squad depth and better goalscoring form, they should be able to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Koln 1-2 Borussia Dortmund
Koln vs Borussia Dortmund Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Borussia Dortmund to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Julian Brandt to score or assist any time - Yes
