FC Köln vs. Bochum preview: Two goal-shy teams face off
FC Köln and Bochum have both struggled to find the net in recent times, but they will both be hoping to have their shooting boots on when they go head-to-head at the RheinEnergieStadion on Friday.
FC Köln
Köln have found wins hard to come by in recent times, recording just one victory in their previous seven games. Baumgart's side at least managed to avoid a third consecutive defeat when they travelled to the capital last weekend, holding Union Berlin to a goalless draw.
Although Köln would have been pleased with a clean sheet against a top-four opponent, they have now failed to score in three consecutive Bundesliga games for the first time in Baumgart's tenure. In fact, they have only registered three goals in their last five matches, with all of those strikes taking place in a comfortable 3-0 home victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on February 12.
Die Geißböcke head into the weekend in 12th place and eight points above the bottom three. Although the hosts may have a healthy cushion to the relegation zone, they will be keen to return to winning ways on Friday. Their head-to-head record will give Köln reason to be confident as they have won 22 of their 30 Bundesliga meetings with Bochum, while only one of those games have ended in defeat.
Team News
The hosts are expected to be without the services of Jan Thielmann, Kristian Pedersen, and Mark Uth. Long-term absentees Florian Dietz and Sebastian Andersson remain sidelined, while Luca Kilian is a doubt.
Bochum
Since thrashing Hoffenheim 5-2 at the beginning of February, Bochum have lost five consecutive games across all competitions. In their most recent outing, Die Unabsteigbaren were beaten 2-0 at home by a resurgent Schalke 04 side.
Bochum have now lost their last four league games by a combined 10-0 scoreline, and as a result, they have dropped to the foot of the Bundesliga table on a goal difference.
Not only do Bochum hold the worst defensive record in the top flight, but they are also the second-lowest scorers, highlighting the improvement that will be required if they are to avoid the drop.
To make matters worse, they have only picked up three points from their 12 away games - no side in the top flight has collected fewer away points this season. However, Bochum know that if they are able to claim their second away win of the Bundesliga season then they will move out of the bottom three.
Team News
Injury issues will prevent Simon Zoller, Gerrit Holtmann and Cristian Gamboa from featuring, while Philipp Hofman is a doubt due to illness.