Borussia Dortmund won their first fixture of the 19/20 season 5-1 at home to Augsburg. Their opposition took the lead in the first minute, but it only took another two for Paco Alcacer to net his first of the season.

The match's real action came with the start of the second half - Alcacer, Marco Reus and Jadon Sancho all notching in within 12 minutes of it commencing. Later, substitute, and new signing from Bayer Leverkusen, Julian Brandt netted his first with BVB - his side-footed volley in front of the Yellow Wall defeating goalkeeper Koubek.

In their first game in the league after winning last year's 2. Bundesliga, Köln fell to a 2-1 defeat against VfL Wolfsburg. Despite the statistics giving the impression that the game was a pretty even affair,  Archie Bierelozer's side found themselves two goals down within sixty minutes of play. As the clock wound down, last year's 2. Bundesliga top scorer Simone Terodde found himself in behind the Wolfsburg defence and slotted the ball over the top of Kevin Casteels.

On both of the last two occasions where these sides faced each other, Dortmund ran out victors. Most recently, BVB clutched a win in the last few minutes of the game away from home in February of the 2017/18 Bundesliga.

Team News

Both sides have a number of players who may not appear. Midfielder Louis Schaub is lacking match fitness, and it is unlikely that he will be a member of the starting eleven. Christian Clemens will be out for quite a while with a cruciate ligament rupture, Jakobs will also not feature, and has a torn muscle fiber. 

New signing from this summer, nineteen-year-old Mateu Morey has been ruled out of the match with injury, although it did not seem that he would feature anyway.

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Predicted Lineup

1. FC Cologne: Horn, Ehizibue, Meré, Czichos, Hector, Verstraete, Skhiri, Schindler, Kainz, Cordoba, Modeste
 

Borussia Dortmund: Bürki, Piszczek, Akanji, Hummels, Schulz, Witsel, Weigl, Sancho, Reus, Hazard, Alcácer

Match Facts

  • In the past five matches between the sides, Dortmund are unbeaten. Draws in the first three games have since been followed by two victories.
  • Three out of Borussia Dortmund's previous four victories against Cologne have been by a five-goal margin.
  • BVB did not win a game against Cologne between 1967 and 1990 (five draws and fifteen defeats). In the 20 away games since then versus the Billy Goats have produced more than twice as many victories (eleven) as defeats (five).
  • BVB's largest league away win is 6-1. Two out of the three times that they have won by that margin have been against Cologne (in 1994 and 2012).

The coaches' views

Director of football at BVB, Michael Zorc told the press prior to the game:

"We know it won't be as easy as the end of the second half against Augsburg. We have to have the right edge, mentality, and will to win to be on top."

Next, head coach Lucian Favre touched on the club's opposition:

"We've seen a lot from Köln, they have created a good base and are a very solid and tough squad. But the good news is our team is fully fit."

Head coach of FC Köln, Achim Beierlorzer, mentioned the link between the supporters and the squad:

"The support from our fans will be hugely important. When our fans get behind us, it's a huge push for the players. But we must play in a way that gets the fans going."

He later complimented their opposition, and mentioned how they would need to set up for the tie:

"Borussia Dortmund are good on the ball and have unbelievable pace when it comes to going forward. Augsburg were, at a stage, very passive against them. This shouldn't happen to us."

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