1. FC Köln travel to face Hamburger SV in the Bundesliga on Saturday, September 19th. Kick-off at the Volksparkstadion is at 3:30 PM local time. It's the fourth matchday of the season for the Billy Goats, who currently sit 12th in the table with four points.
Head coach Steffen Baumgart's side heads into the fixture with mixed recent form. Following a 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen last weekend and a 4-1 defeat in Stuttgart before that, the team aims to recapture the positive momentum from the opening two matchdays, which brought wins against Hoffenheim and Würzburger Kickers.
Team News for Köln
Baumgart deployed a 4-5-1 formation in the last match against Bremen. Marvin Schwäbe started in goal, with a back four of Antonios Castro-Montes, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, Luka Lochoshvili, and Gideon Mensah. Marius Bülter, Tom Krauß, Ellyes Skhiri, Max Moore, and Linton Maina operated in midfield, while Thijs Dallinga led the line. It was Maina who headed in the opening goal for Köln in the 11th minute, assisted by Skhiri. The current squad list with all players is available to view.
The Opposition's Situation
Hamburger SV are in a tough spell. The Hanseatic club suffered heavy 5-0 defeats in their last two Bundesliga outings against Mainz and Leipzig and are currently bottom of the table. Manager Tim Walter also has several injury concerns. Alexander Røssing-Lelesiit, Immanuel Pherai, and Kofi Jeremy Amoako are out, as is the long-term suspended Mario Vušković. Sebastiaan Bornauw will also be unavailable.
The last meeting between the two sides ended in a 1-1 draw in Hamburg on March 14th of this year. For the Billy Goats, the task is to improve on that away record and bring the three points back home. The current standings show that a win would increase the gap to the relegation places and help close in on the teams above.
Saturday's match is the next opportunity to improve a season record of one win, one draw, and one loss from three games. Preparation in training this week has been accordingly focused.
