Schultz and new names | Analysis of FC Köln

Friday evening. Floodlights. Cologne.

Matchday 26 takes RBL to Rhineland. On Friday evening (8.30 p.m.) our boys will face  1. FC Köln .

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A lot has happened at FC Köln in the last few months: whether it’s a change of coach, an upswing in the race to stay in the league or new names in the starting line-up. 

We’ll do the analysis before our away game and bring you up to date on all things 1. FC Köln .
 

1. FC Köln analysis

Tactics

• The “Effzeh” sat 17th in the table, tied on points with Mainz 05 (16th), and Darmstadt 98 (18th) – all ten points – going into the winter break. Those leaders of the Geißbockheim felt forced to act and hired Timo Schultz as the new head coach to replace Steffen Baumgart (now Hamburger SV).

  Since then, things have gradually improved: eight points from nine Bundesliga games under Schultz. In terms of the table, they moved up one place to the relegation playoff. The lead over Mainz is currently two points and five points over Darmstadt . The distance to safety is seven points (Bochum, Union Berlin, Wolfsburg – all 25 points).

  Köln celebrated their only win so far under new coach Timo Schultz on matchday 20 at home to Eintracht Frankfurt (2-0). Last matchday, Schultz’s team earned a point against Borussia Mönchengladbach (3-3) in an eventful Rhine derby with a late goal.

  Recent results have shown that the “Effzeh” are in the race to stay in the league.

1. FC Köln Last 5 Results

• Borussia Mönchengladbach – 1. FC Cologne | 3-3 (Matchday 25)
• 1. FC Cologne – Bayer Leverkusen | 0-2 (Matchday 24)
• VfB Stuttgart – 1. FC Cologne | 1-1 (Matchday 23)
• 1. FC Cologne – Werder Bremen | 0-1 (Matchday 22)
• TSG Hoffenheim – 1. FC Cologne | 1-1 (Matchday 21)
   

The Squad

• Alidou on form
  With two derby goals and a total of four from the last six games, Faride Alidou (22) has been the star man. The attacker enjoys breaking down the wing and impresses with his pace and good technique.

   

• Schultz relies on young talent
  Timo Schultz shows that he gives young players a chance with his squad nominations. Max Finkgräfe (19) is a youngster who has established himself in defence (16 appearances, 13 of them in the starting eleven). In Gladbach , Damion Downs scored to make it 3-3. He is also just 19 and was promoted by Schultz from the regional league team to the professionals. The third 19-year-old in the group is Justin Diehl . However, the talented striker will miss the game against RB Leipzig due to a torn hamstring.

   

• Important players are missing against RBL
  Timo Hübers is an important pillar in Cologne’s defence; he is currently serving a yellow card suspension and will therefore be unavailable. Another missing player is Eric Martel. The midfielder, who ran through RB Leipzig‘s youth teams from 2017 to 2021, received a red card in the last game and is also suspended.
   

1. FC Köln’s unavailable players

• Timo Hübers (suspended)
• Eric Martel (suspended)
• Jan Thielmann (suspended)
• Justin Diehl (torn muscle fiber)
• Mark Uth (knee injury)
• Luca Waldschmidt (broken fibula)
   

THE HEAD COACH

• Timo Schultz spent most of his playing career at FC St. Pauli. After retiring, the former midfielder took on various positions as an assistant and youth coach for the Kiezkickers.

  For the 2020/21 season, Schultz took over the second division team of FC St. Pauli and remained head coach until the winter break of the 2022/23 season. Before his time at 1. FC Köln, he was head coach of the Swiss first division club FC Basel from July to September 2023 .

COACH FACTS

• Name: Timo Schultz
• Birthday: August 26, 1977 in Wittmund
• Previous Roles: FC Basel, FC St. Pauli
• Record at 1. FC Köln: 1 win, 5 draws, 3 defeats

FC Köln started the last game with this team

Schwäbe – R. Carstensen, Hübers, Chabot, Finkgräfe – Huseinbasic, Martel, Kainz, Alidou, Maina – Adamyan
 

RBL’s record vs 1. FC Köln

Direct comparison

• 6 RBL wins, 5 draws, 2 defeats
• Previous meeting: 6-0 for RB Leipzig

Players who have played for both sides:

• Davie Selke (at RBL from 2015 to 2017)
• Eric Martel (at RBL from 2017 to 2021)
• Jeff Chabot (at RBL from 2014 to 2017)
• Jonas Nickisch (from 2017 to 2023 at RBL)
   

How to watch 1. FC Köln VS. RB Leipzig

• The game will be broadcast live on DAZN on Friday from 8:30 p.m. You can also follow the game free of charge on our RBL app – including live audio broadcast on Bullenfunk. And of course we are also live on our social media channels Twitter, Facebook and Instagram as well as on our WhatsApp channel. There you will get all the information and exclusive content about the match.