90min

FC Koln vs Borussia Dortmund: TV channel, live stream, team news & prediction

By Grey Whitebloom

Borussia Dortmund earned their first Bundesliga clean sheet of the season at home to FC Koln in October, ten games into the campaign
Borussia Dortmund earned their first Bundesliga clean sheet of the season at home to FC Koln in October, ten games into the campaign / Joosep Martinson/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit

FC Koln host title hopefuls Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga on Sunday evening.

Effzeh lost the first leg of their relegation play-off against Holstein Kiel last summer, coming within 90 minutes of the second tier. Under the effervescent stewardship of Steffen Baumgart, Koln are now seventh with eight games left to play.

Axel Witsel's late winner for Dortmund against Mainz in midweek closed the gap with Bayern Munich to just four points, but they can scarcely afford any slip-ups to push the perennial champions all the way.

Here's everything you need to know about Sunday's late offering.

How to watch Koln vs Dortmund on TV/live stream

When is kick off? Sunday 20 March, 18:30 (GMT)
Where is the match being played? RheinEnergieSTADION
TV channel/live stream? Sky Sports Football (UK), ESPN+ (US), Sportsnet (Canada)
Highlights? Sky Sports & Bundesliga YouTube channel
Referee? TBC
VAR? TBC

Koln team news

Koln defeated third-place Bayer Leverkusen last weekend thanks to Kinglsey Schindler's second half goal. However, the 28-year-old won't be able to perform a repeat of his heroics off the bench following a withdrawal due to personal reasons.

The club's skipper Jonas Hector and midfielder Florian Kainz are also unlikely to feature as both have been lumbered with illness.

Dortmund team news

Alongside the much-needed three points in midweek, Dortmund were able to trot out Erling Haaland for a second consecutive substitute appearance. The Leeds-born Norway international could be in line for his first start since January.

His partner-in-crime at the top of the pitch Marco Reus, however, is a doubt with illness. Raphael Guerreiro and Mats Hummels may be available after the pair served their COVID isolations.

Long-term absentees Mateu Morey (knee), Steffen Tigges (ankle) and Thomas Meunier (hamstring) will do well to return at all this season.

Both centre-backs Dan-Axel Zagadou (thigh) and Manuel Akanji (calf) are also doubts while Mo Dahoud reduced Marco Rose's midfield options by picking up a suspension in midweek.

Koln vs Dortmund head-to-head record

Koln have won just one of their past ten Bundesliga meetings with Borussia Dortmund (4D 5L). The Billygoats haven't claimed a top-flight victory on home soil since Anthony Modeste netted a 90th-minute winner against a Thomas Tuchel-led side in 2015.

Despite the lack of Koln victories, they have rarely failed to bloody Dortmund's nose in this particular fixture; BVB's last nine trips to the Rhine region have prompted an avalanche of 36 goals - four per game with both sides scoring at least once.

Koln vs Dortmund score prediction

Koln rank as the best in the land of the press. Baumgart's side allow their opponents a league-low nine passes before attempting to win the ball back by fair means or foul.

This proactive approach has led to a much-improved frontline but does leave them horribly exposed to golden opportunities should the opposition squeeze past the pressure.

With the likes of Haaland back among their ranks, these chances invariably turn to goals for Dortmund. The question, as ever, is whether they can stem the flow going the other way.

Prediction: Koln 1-2 Dortmund

Home/Bundesliga