1. FC Köln, under the guidance of newly appointed interim head coach René Wagner, faces a critical challenge this Sunday as they travel to Deutsche Bank Park to take on Eintracht Frankfurt. Wagner’s primary objective is to steer his team away from the perilous relegation zone.
Eintracht Frankfurt, meanwhile, finds itself in a precarious position regarding European qualification. Following Bayer Leverkusen’s recent 6-3 triumph over Wolfsburg, Albert Riera’s squad now trails the top-six by 11 points. With only 21 points left to contend for this season, European football next year remains a distant possibility. Die Adler suffered a significant setback in their previous outing, falling 3-1 to Mainz, a match where a brace from Paul Nebel extinguished Eintracht’s renewed hopes for a positive outcome.
For this crucial fixture, Riera will be without key players: goalkeeper Kauã Santos and centre-back Nnamdi Collins are sidelined with knee and ankle injuries, respectively. Rasmus Kristensen also remains unavailable. The attacking responsibilities are expected to fall on the shoulders of Jonathan Burkardt and Arnaud Kalimuendo, who are set to form a two-man strike force.
On the Köln side, this match marks their debut under coach Wagner, widely recognized for his long tenure as an assistant manager to Steffen Baumgart in the Bundesliga. His predecessor, Lukas Kwasniok, concluded his time at the club with a 3-3 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach just before the international break. With merely seven games remaining, The Billy Goats are precariously positioned, just two points above the relegation playoff spot and five clear of automatic relegation. The outcome of their match against Eintracht, alongside St. Pauli’s simultaneous encounter with Union Berlin, could significantly alter their survival prospects.
Köln also faces its own set of personnel challenges. Timo Hübers, Luca Kilian, and Joël Schmied are all ruled out for the clash, while Eric Martel serves a suspension. The central midfield will likely be anchored by Ísak Bergmann Jóhannesson and Tom Krauß.
Predicted Starting Line-ups:
Eintracht Frankfurt: Zetterer – Amenda, R. Koch, Theate – Doan, Larsson, Brown – M. Götze, Uzun – Kalimuendo, Burkardt.
Köln: Schwäbe – Sebulonsen, van den Berg, Özkacar, Lund – Krauß, Jóhannesson – Thielmann, Kamiński, S. El Mala – Ache.
