FC Koln and Borussia Dortmund will be eager to return to winning ways when they clash at RheinEnergieStadion on Saturday.

Matchday 25 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season continues on Saturday, which will feature six games. The action on the day will start with five simultaneous matches before ending with FC Koln vs Borussia Dortmund at RheinEnergieStadion.

The 2025/26 season has been a topsy-turvy ride for FC Koln. The Billy Goats were hot off the blocks, enjoying a three-game unbeaten run to sit in the top four before the first international break. However, Lukas Kwasniok’s men have won only one of their last 14 matches, thus steadily dropping in the Bundesliga standings. They are now perilously close to the relegation zone, and a resurgence cannot come sooner.

On the other hand, Borussia Dortmund suffered a significant setback in the Bundesliga title race in Matchday 24, losing 3-2 to Bayern Munich to fall 11 points behind the table-toppers. The Black and Yellows have been second for most of the 2025/26 season, and that is where they will likely finish the 2025/26 campaign, with only eight games remaining in the league campaign.

The reverse fixture ended in a 1-0 win for Borussia Dortmund, with Maximilian Beier scoring an injury-time winner. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

FC Koln

Lukas Kwasniok has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The FC Koln head coach will be bereft of the services of four first-team players vs Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

Timo Hubers and Luca Kilian are long-term absentees due to their knee injuries. Meanwhile, Denis Huseinbasic is unavailable due to a hip problem, while Jan Thielmann is recovering from a muscular problem.

Marvin Schwabe is an automatic pick between the sticks, with FC Koln lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. The central defensive unit will feature Rav van den Berg, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, and Cenk Ozkacar. Meanwhile, Alessio Castro-Montes and Kristoffer Lund will be the two wing-backs.

The wide duo will provide width in the final third and protect the three centre-backs. As for the midfield unit, Eric Martel will line up alongside Tom Krauss in the double pivot. Finally, Ragnar Ache will lead the line for FC Koln against Borussia Dortmund, with Said El Mala and Jakub Kaminski completing the numbers in the offensive unit.

Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Schwabe; van den Berg, Simpson-Pusey, Ozkacar; Castro-Montes, Martel, Krauss, Lund; Kaminski, El Mala; Ache

Borussia Dortmund

Unlike his counterpart in the FC Koln dugout, Niko Kovac has a new injury concern to worry about ahead of the trip to RheinEnergieStadion. The Borussia Dortmund head coach will be without four first-team players on Saturday.

Emre Can has picked up a new injury, and he will miss the game against FC Koln due to a knee injury. The German international has joined Niklas Sule (thigh), Carney Chukwuemeka (muscular), and Filippo Mane (thigh) in the treatment room.

Gregor Kobel will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Borussia Dortmund lining up in a 3-4-3 formation in front of him vs FC Koln on Saturday. The central defensive unit will feature Luca Reggiani, Waldemar Anton, and Nico Schlotterbeck. Meanwhile, Julian Ryerson and Daniel Svensson will be two wing-backs.

The wide duo will provide width in the final third and protect the centre-backs. As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Marcel Sabitzer and Felix Nmecha in the double pivot. Finally, Fabio Silva will spearhead the Borussia Dortmund attack against FC Koln, with Julian Brandt and Maximilian Beier completing the numbers in the offensive third.

Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Kobel; Reggiani, Anton, Schlotterbeck; Ryerson, Sabitzer, Nmecha, Svensson; Brandt, Silva, Beier

Key Stats

• FC Koln have lost their last four games against Borussia Dortmund, scoring just once in that time. The Black and Yellows have scored 12 times across those four wins, losing only two games from their ten most recent meetings with the Billy Goats.
• Borussia Dortmund were tenth at this point last season, while they are currently only five points behind the 57 they managed across the entirety of the 2024/25 campaign.
• FC Koln made a great start to the 2025/26 Bundesliga season, picking up 14 points from their first nine games. However, in their subsequent 15 matches, the Billy Goats have managed only ten, putting them in danger of a return to the second tier. Currently in 13th place, their lowest position all season, the hosts are just two points above the relegation play-off spot.
• Borussia Dortmund have lost two consecutive competitive matches for the first time under Niko Kovac, with last weekend’s Klassiker defeat to Bayern Munich following the UEFA Champions League loss to Atalanta. However, the Black and Yellows are still in a good position in the Bundesliga with a six-point buffer over third place.
• Four of FC Koln’s six Bundesliga wins have come when Said El Mala was introduced from the bench. Additionally, he has been directly involved in a goal every 63 minutes when on as a substitute compared to 155 when starting a match.

Player to Watch

Julian Ryerson

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While Maximilian Beier, Said El Mala, and Ragnar Ache were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Julian Ryerson as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Bundesliga clash between FC Koln and Borussia Dortmund at RheinEnergieStadion.

While the attacking players are usually the most significant factor in delivering the goods in the final third, Ryerson’s creativity holds the key for the forwards. The Norwegian full-back’s exploits have also piqued the attention of several high-profile clubs, but he remains focused on the job at hand at Borussia Dortmund. Expect the 28-year-old to be the go-to player for Niko Kovac.

Prediction

FC Koln 0-2 Borussia Dortmund

FC Koln’s Bundesliga campaign has been spiralling in recent months, and they need to get back to their best to rescue a faltering season. However, getting the better of Borussia Dortmund will take a monumental effort, although the hosts will take the game to their visitors.

The gulf in quality between the two sides will become clear as the minutes wear on, and the away side should enjoy a relatively straightforward victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for Niko Kovac and his charges.