Preview: Magdeburg the visitors to Müngersdorf
1. FC Köln welcome 1. FC Magdeburg to the RheinEnergieSTADION on Saturday evening. Kick-off is at 20:30 CEST, as the team with a 100% away record visit Gerhard Struber’s side.
Form check
1. FC Köln: After failing to win the first two games of the season, FC managed to get the campaign rolling before the international break. After a close call against SV Sandhausen, a 5:0 win against Eintracht Braunschweig was followed-up by a 3:1 away victory against FC Schalke 04. After six points from six, the plan is to pick up where the team left off before the two-week break.
1. FC Magdeburg: Winless at home, a 100% record away from home. Magdeburg are unbeaten in the 2. Bundesliga this season, boasting the best away record in the league. Martijn Kaars has three goals to his name and will be hoping to add to that in Köln. The only blip in Magdeburg’s strong start remains the Pokal defeat to Kickers Offenbach. Christian Titz will do everything in his power to ensure it stays that way.
The coaches had their say
Gerhard Struber: “We have to be consequent when it comes to defending. Magdeburg is an opponent that will test us a lot. We have to be alert, win the ball and want to cause Magdeburg problems. Now, we’re heading into the game following the international break and want to pick up where we left off against Schalke. It’s about finding a match plan that will help us to be successful.”
Christian Titz: “Köln is a team that have been together and grown together, that has stuck together and are very dangerous on the counter-attack. They have already scored a lot of goals. They have a lot of quality within their ranks.”
Injury update
1. FC Köln: Timo Hübers is back from illness and will start once again. Florian Kainz, Max Finkgräfe and Luca Kilian are all back on the pitch individually but remain absent. All internationals returned fit from their fixtures.
1. FC Magdeburg: Herbert Bockhorn, Aleksa Marusic, Samuel Loric and Bryan Teixeira will play no part on Saturday evening. The latter is expecting a child. Marcus Mathisen is carrying a knock, while Lubambo Musonda returns from international duty on Friday.