Köln vs. Gladbach preview: The Rhine derby
The last-place Billy Goats desperately need a win in what will be a rowdy Rhine derby at the RheinEnergieStadion on Matchday 8.
Köln
Köln have only claimed one point thus far and have scored a measly four goals in seven contests. Things are not looking good. They did defeat lower-league side Reusrath over the international break 15-0 to hopefully boost their confidence offensively.
Maybe a derby match at home is exactly what the club needs to turn the season around. The injury list is starting to clear up once again with several key players back including Mark Uth, who played his last league match nearly one year ago.
Steffen Baumgart stated, “It's the most emotional game in this region. This game speaks for itself. - Everyone sees the table every day. We live in Köln. We know what the situation is. The lads are focused on playing football and winning games.”
Team News
Philipp Pentke and Jan Thielmann are out. Damion Downs, Florian Dietz, and Max Finkgräfe will play with the U21s this weekend. Linton Maina, Luca Waldschmidt, Benno Schmitz, and Uth are all back in the squad.
Gladbach
It hasn’t been the start to the season Gladbach fans envisioned with only six points secured. There have simply been too many defensive lapses to count and many supporters are unsure if Gerardo Seoane is the right man for the job.
The good news is that Florian Neuhaus looks reborn in front of goal and Alassane Plea finally ended his scoring slump a couple weeks ago. Seoane confirmed that Ko Itakura and Joe Scally will be available for Sunday’s contest after only returning from international break on Thursday.
In his presser, the trainer stated, "We're very much looking forward to the game and know exactly what we're up against in Köln. The stadium will be full. We know what we want to take from the derby and how important and emotional this game is for our fans."
Team News
Gladbach are without Hannes Wolf, Yvandro Borges Sanches, Tony Jantschke, and Jonas Omlin.