1. FC Köln vs Borussia Mönchengladbach preview: Derby relegation battle
| (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images) |
FC Köln
Köln enter this home derby versus Gladbach with four more points than their derby rivals who are winless but with one major issue - both starting strikers Ragnar Ache and Thijs Dallinga are out injured.
In their friendly against Viktoria Köln in the international break they managed to draw 2-2 but were struck with an immense amount of misfortune as both Ache and Dallinga went off injured as Köln's two main strikers in the game.
Said El Mala returns from his stint with Germany after having played against Greece and Serbia as he hopes to continue his scoring streak against Gladbach as he netted in Köln in March this year against Köln's rivals in the 3-3 draw.
Köln have not won however since matchday one in the Bundesliga and are on a bad run of games without a clean sheet - with this now at 18 in the Bundesliga.
Before the tie against Borussia Mönchengladbach, Köln's head coach Rene Wagner spoke on the pressure on the moment on his job: “If I let the outside noise take influence on my job here at Köln it wouldn't make it any easier.”
Team news
Alessio Castro-Montes is a doubt for the game against Gladbach with Timo Hübers, Thijs Dallinga and Ragnar Ache all out.
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach coach Alexander Blessin will hope to capitalise on the new manager bounce against rivals Köln, a team which Gladbach has fared well against in recent history.
Interim coach Jan-Moritz Lichte fell victim to ex-Köln player Eric Martel as his side were stumped after being 2-2 against Mainz to eventually lose 4-3.
The Foals have conceded 17 goals this season in the league which is the second highest in the Bundesliga.
Alongside this, they haven't won this year away from home in the league with their last win away from home coming against Mainz last December.
However, the away side have only lost once in their last five Rhine derbies with the foals going unbeaten last season against their Cathedral city rivals.
They will also be looking to prevent a club Bundesliga record of conceding three times in five consecutive games for the first time ever.
Before Sunday's tie, new Gladbach coach Alexander Blessin said: “There's plenty of means for optimism. We want to approach the game with a positive mindset. We're aware a positive result can make a huge difference.”
Team news
Gladbach are without former Köln protégé Jens Castrop. He is joined on the sidelines by Franck Honorat, Nicolas Kühn and Enzo Leopold.
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Bayern Munich–Union Berlin (18 September 2026): full-time Over 2.5 goals across each team’s last 10 Bundesliga matches, home and away; captured 16 September 2026. Includes previous-season results; percentages show historical frequency, not a prediction.
