FC Koln have begun the new Bundesliga season poorly, losing both of their first two games, and now play host to fierce rivals Borussia Monchengladbach.
Gladbach have had a similarly stuttering start to the campaign, collecting just one point from their opening two fixtures, and look a shadow of the side that finished fourth last season.
Match preview
Koln are likely to be involved in another relegation scrap this season, if their first two league outings are anything to go by.
The club finished 14th last term, just five points clear of the relegation places, and have lost their first two games.
Head coach Markus Gisdol will not be overly concerned about his side's opening-weekend defeat by Hoffenheim - who stunned Bayern Munich 4-1 on Sunday - but the manner of their second loss will be far more concerning.
Gisdol's side fell 1-0 away to Arminia Bielefeld, a newly-promoted side who will likely be among Koln's direct rivals in the battle for survival, and will need to improve quickly if they are to extend their stay in the Bundesliga to three consecutive seasons.
For Koln supporters, there would be no better time to do so than on Saturday, against long-standing rivals Gladbach, who are also searching for a first league win of the season.
Last season's fourth-placed side have been off the pace so far, losing 3-0 at Borussia Dortmund and being held to a 1-1 draw by Union Berlin.
Their drop in form comes as a surprise, given their strong showings last term. Gladbach were the fourth-highest scorers and boasted the fourth-best defence as well, bettering the tallies of every team bar Bayern, Dortmund and RB Leipzig.
However, they've scored just once so far, but may still feel confident of breaching Koln's rearguard, given their rivals had the joint-second worst defensive record in the Bundesliga last season.
Manager Marco Rose put together an exciting, positive side last term and boosted his reputation significantly with his tactical acumen. His latest challenge will be to prove he can lift his once-swashbuckling side out of their current malaise and a morale-boosting win over Koln would be the perfect start to that process.
FC Koln Bundesliga form: LL
FC Koln form (all competitions): WLL
Borussia Monchengladbach Bundesliga form: LD
Borussia Monchengladbach form (all competitions): WLD
Team News
Koln head coach Gisdol has a quartet of absentees to contend with ahead of Gladbach's visit to the RheinEnergieStadion.
Captain Jonas Hector, Jorge Mere and Ismail Jakobs are all out in the short term, while Florian Kainz is not expected back until the middle of next month.
Striker Anthony Modeste, however, has returned to training and could be involved on Saturday.
Gladbach manager Rose has an even lengthier injury list than his counterpart, with six players sidelined due to injury.
Nico Elvedi, Marcus Thuram, Louis Beyer, Valentino Lazaro, Laszlo Benes and Denis Zakaria are all out, but should return later this month.
Breel Embolo and Keanan Bennetts are both back in training, however, and may make the squad.
FC Koln possible starting lineup:
T. Horn; Ehizibue, Bornauw, Czichos, J. Horn; Skhiri, Drexler; Rexhbecaj, Duda, Thielmann; Andersson
Borussia Monchengladbach possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Lainer, Ginter, Jantschke, Bensebaini; Kramer, Neuhaus; Wolf, Stindl, Hofmann; Plea
We say: FC Koln 0-1 Borussia Monchengladbach
Both teams are in poor form and, though Gladbach are obviously the superior side on paper, they are plagued by injuries, while Koln have the benefit of home advantage. Gladbach could edge it, but it's a tight call either way.
Top betting tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 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.Under 3.5:databody check tags ::
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