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After a year in the second division, Schalke will open their Bundesliga campaign at Koln on Sunday.
After the ignominy of going down as the bottom team in the 2020-21 season with just 16 points, Schalke had to reinvent themselves tactically as well as financially in the 2. Bundesliga.
Null Vier won 2. Bundesliga and have added some young as well as experienced players to their squad over the summer. Koln, meanwhile, had a solid 2021-22 season, finishing in the European places. The Billy Goats will play in the Europa Conference League this season after finishing seventh in the league last time.
Their goal this year will be to better last season’s league finish. However, that'll be easier said than done, as they don’t have a the biggest of squads and have to deal with European football as well this time.
Koln vs Schalke Head-to-head
Koln have the head-to-head advantage over Schalke, with 17 wins. The Royal Blues have won this fixture 15 times, while 13 of their meetings have ended all square.
Koln form guide (all competitions): W.
Schalke form guide (all competitions): W.
Koln vs Schalke Team News
Koln
Timo Hubers, Florian Dietz, Dimitrios Limnios and Mark Uth are expected to miss out for The Billy Goats.
Injured: Timo Hubers, Florian Dietz, Dimitrios Limnios, Mark Uth.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None.
Unavailable: None.
Schalke
Simon Terodde trained after recovering from his muscle issue. However, a late decision will be made on his involvement in the game. It’s unlikely he will start. Danny Latza trained as well, but the game might come too soon for him.
Injured: None.
Doubtful: Simon Terodde, Danny Latza.
Unavailable: None.
Suspended: None
Koln vs Schalke Predicted XIs
Koln: Marvin Schwabe; Benno Schmitz, Luca Kilian, Julian Chabot, Jonas Hector; Ellyes Skhiri, Linton Maina, Dejan Ljubicic, Florian Kainz; Anthony Modeste, Sargis Adamyan.
Schalke: Alexander Schwolow; Cedric Brunner, Maya Yoshida, Marcin Kaminski, Thomas Ouwejan; Tom Krauss, Alex Kral, Rodrigo Zalazar, Tobias Mohr; Dominic Drexler, Sebastian Polter.
Koln vs Schalke Prediction
The two teams have different targets for the season but will want to get off to a winning start. Koln will start as the favourites in front of their home fans, but Schalke did well in pre-season and could come away with a point.
Prediction: Koln 1-1 Schalke.
