Dortmund Travels to Cologne in Bid to Maintain Bundesliga Second Place

The RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne will host the anticipated clash between FC Köln and visitors Borussia Dortmund in the 25th round of the German Bundesliga on March 7th, officiated by referee Daniel Siebert.

Dortmund enters the match sitting second in the league table with 52 points. They aim to reduce the 11-point gap with leaders Bayern Munich and maintain their six-point advantage over third-placed Hoffenheim. Meanwhile, Köln is in 13th position with 24 points, with both teams having played 24 matches so far.

The hosts have been struggling with form, recording just one win and one draw against three defeats in their last five league outings. This partially mirrors the visitors' recent performance, which includes two wins, one draw, and two losses over the same period. Historically, the head-to-head record favors Dortmund with 13 victories compared to Köln's five. Their last encounter, in October, saw the Yellow and Blacks secure a narrow one-nil victory in the Bundesliga.

Köln is expected to line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, featuring goalkeeper Marvin Schwäbe, Kaan Özkaçar, and Eric Martel. The hosts will be without Linton Maina and Denis Huseinbašić due to injury until mid-March. Additionally, Timo Hübers is sidelined for the remainder of the season, while Jan Thielmann is anticipated to return to action in approximately two weeks.

Conversely, Dortmund is projected to field a similar lineup, led by Gregor Kobel, Waldemar Anton, and Nico Schlotterbeck. Emre Can remains unavailable due to injury for the rest of the season. The visitors will also miss Filippo Calixte Mané and Niklas Süle, both out with injuries until mid-March, while Carney Chukwuemeka is expected to return in about two weeks.