FC Köln vs. SC Freiburg preview: Promoted Billy Goats aim for back-to-back wins | OneFootball

FC Köln

Köln returned to the Bundesliga in style last weekend, clinching a dramatic 1-0 win away at Mainz thanks to Marius Bülter’s stoppage-time strike. While Die Nullfünfer were reduced to ten men on the hour mark, Kwasniok’s side showed both patience and resilience to make their advantage count late on.

That result extended Köln’s unbeaten run in all competitions to ten matches (W8, D2), a streak that has instilled confidence in a squad whose primary target this season will be survival.

Victory on Sunday would represent another significant boost, with Die Geißböcke potentially climbing into the European positions alongside some of the Bundesliga’s heavyweights after two matchdays.

Team News

Köln have few injury concerns heading into the contest. Bülter is expected to lead the line again, supported by Jan Thielmann and Jakub Kamiński, while Marvin Schwäbe should retain his spot in goal behind a three-man defensive unit of Joel Schmied, Timo Hübers and Tom Krauß.

Predicted lineup - 3-4-2-1: Schwäbe - Schmied, Hübers, Krauß - Sebulonsen, Martel, Johannesson, Lund - Thielmann, Kamiński - Bülter

Freiburg

After an excellent 2024/25 campaign in which they secured fifth place and a Europa League berth, Freiburg endured a frustrating start to the new season with a 3-1 home defeat to Augsburg. Die Breisgauer fell three goals behind before Vincenzo Grifo netted a consolation from the penalty spot.

Schuster’s men had earlier seen a potential opener from Lucas Höler ruled out for offside, but ultimately struggled to recover once Die Fuggerstädter had taken control. Freiburg’s boss will be eager for a response this weekend, particularly as his side look to avoid starting a Bundesliga season with back-to-back losses for the first time since 2019/20.

Team News

The visitors remain without Daniel-Kofi Kyereh, who is still recovering from a long-term injury, while Max Rosenfelder (hamstring) is also sidelined. Jan-Niklas Beste and Philipp Treu miss out as well, leaving Schuster short of options on the left flank.

Grifo is expected to feature on the wing, with captain Christian Günter at left-back. At the heart of defence, Matthias Ginter is likely to partner Philipp Lienhart, while Maximilian Eggestein and Patrick Osterhage should operate in central midfield.

Predicted lineup - 4-2-3-1: Atubolu - Kübler, Ginter, Lienhart, Günter - Eggestein, Osterhage - Dinkçi, Manzambi, Grifo - Höler