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Bundesliga | Gameweek 29
Apr 9, 2022 at 2.30pm UK
RheinEnergieStadion
ML

FC Koln
3 - 2
Mainz 05

Skhiri (60'), Ljubicic (78'), Kilian (82')
Chabot (34'), Modeste (79')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Burkardt (14'), Onisiwo (55')
Caricol (36'), Stach (65')

Preview: FC Koln vs. Mainz 05 - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: FC Koln vs. Mainz 05 - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Saturday's Bundesliga clash between FC Koln and Mainz 05, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

FC Koln and Mainz 05 will both be looking to bounce back from Bundesliga defeats when they lock horns at the RheinEnergieStadion on Saturday afternoon.

The hosts have won only four of their last eight league fixtures on home soil, while the visitors have won only two of their last 15 matches on the road and they are yet to win an away game in 2022.


Match preview

After securing four points from two games against Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund, Koln were beaten 1-0 away at Union Berlin last Friday.

Despite dominating proceedings with 64% possession, a 49th-minute strike from Taiwo Awoniyi was enough for the hosts to claim maximum points and condemn the visitors to their eighth league defeat of the season.

Nevertheless, Steffen Baumgart's side remain in the hunt to qualify for Europe next season, as they currently sit eighth in the Bundesliga table, four points behind Hoffenheim in sixth and five points behind fifth-placed Freiburg.

Koln have failed to win three of their last five home matches, albeit against Bayern Munich, Hoffenheim and Dortmund, but they head into Saturday's game having lost only one of their 10 home encounters with Mainz.

That defeat, however, was in April last season, with the 05ers securing a 3-2 win thanks to a 91st-minute winner from Leandro Martins.

Mainz's hopes of securing European football for next season are seemingly all but over, as they have won only one of their last five Bundesliga matches, a run of form which has seen them slip out of the top half of the table.

A 1-1 draw away at Borussia Monchengladbach last weekend was followed by a 2-1 away defeat against Augsburg on Wednesday. Silvan Widmar's 54th-minute strike cancelled out Jeffrey Gouweleeuw's first-half opener from the penalty spot, but Ruben Vargas restored the host's lead just two minutes later and they eventually held on for all three points.

Bo Svensson's side have dropped down to 10th in the Bundesliga standings, six points behind the top six with only six league games remaining.

Mainz are now preparing for their third successive away fixture and they will be looking to end their nine-game winless run on the road, dating back to October 30 last year. Only Greuther Furth (two) have accumulated fewer points than Svensson's men (eight) away from home this season.

The 05ers can, however, travel to the RheinEnergieStadion with confidence as they are unbeaten in each of their last three away trips to Koln, including last season's 3-2 win and two score draws.

FC Koln Bundesliga form:
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • L

Mainz 05 Bundesliga form:
  • W
  • L
  • L
  • W
  • D
  • L


Team News

Koln's top scorer Anthony Modeste – who has 15 strikes to his name this term, 12 more than any of his teammates – is doubtful due to illness and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.

The hosts will definitely be without centre-back Timo Hubers and midfielder Jan Thielmann, who will both serve one-match suspensions after picking up their fifth yellow card of the season last time out.

Benno Schmitz also remains sidelined with a hip injury, so Kingsley Ehizibue is set to retain his place at right-back, joining Luca Kilian, Julian Chabot and Jonas Hector in the back four.

Ondrej Duda is available after serving a one-match ban last week and he could be handed a start in an advanced midfield role, just in front of Salih Ozcan and Ellyes Skhiri.

As for Mainz, their only injury concern is with centre-back Jerry St Juste, who continues to recover from a shoulder problem.

Ever-present centre-back trio Stefan Bell, Moussa Niakate and Alexander Hack are all set to start once again, with Widmer and Aaron Caricol to operate as the wing-backs.

Newly-capped Germany international Anton Stach will be hoping to force his way back into the first XI ahead of either Dominik Kohr or Lee Jae-Sung in centre-midfield.

FC Koln possible starting lineup:
Schwabe; Ehizibue, Kilian, Chabot, Hector; Ozcan, Skhiri; Ljubicic, Uth, Kainz; Modeste

Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:
Zentner; Hack, Bell, Niakhate; Widmer, Martins, Stach, Boetius, Caricol; Burkardt, Onisiwo


We say: FC Koln 2-1 Mainz 05

Both sides will be keen to return to winning ways as they look to end the campaign on a high by securing at least a top-half finish.

The visitors have struggled away from home for some time, and although they were victorious in their last visit to Koln, we feel that the hosts will do enough to claim all three points, especially if Modeste is fit to lead the line.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 2.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 2.5:data




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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Bayer LeverkusenB. Leverkusen26224066184870
2Bayern MunichBayern26193478314760
3Stuttgart26182660312956
4Borussia DortmundDortmund26148453322150
5RB Leipzig26154760322849
6Eintracht FrankfurtFrankfurt26101064235740
7Augsburg269894342135
8Hoffenheim2696114450-633
9Freiburg2696113648-1233
10Werder Bremen2686123541-630
11Heidenheim2678113544-929
12Borussia MonchengladbachBorussia M'bach26610104650-428
13Union BerlinUnion Berlin2684142542-1728
14Wolfsburg2667133144-1325
15VfL BochumVfL Bochum26510113054-2425
16Mainz 05Mainz26310132246-2419
17FC Koln2639142047-2718
18SV Darmstadt 98Darmstadt2627172665-3913
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