Matchday in focus: 1. FC Köln | OneFootball

1. FC Köln have a new man in charge with René Wagner about to make his debut at the helm. Up front, they have a dangerous trio in attack with Said El Mala as the main threat.

Tactics

1. FC Köln will have a new coach on the bench for the Easter Sunday match. Lukas Kwasniok was relieved of his duties after the last Bundesliga matchday, with his assistant René Wagner stepping into the role. “He knows the team and won’t have to get used to anything new. He’s had two weeks to prepare for the game and he’ll only be making a few changes here and there,” said former Köln coach Friedhelm Funkel in an interview for Eintracht. As such, the team are expected to stick to their 4-2-3-1 formation. 

Up front, they will have former Eagle Ragnar Ache, who is the club’s top scorer this calendar year with five, along with Said El Mala – who has the most goals this season (ten) – and Jakub Kaminski, who is on six for the campaign, which is also Ache’s total. 

“In certain positions, we have players who can make the difference and so we need to get them into the game,” Wagner said. “We’re compact as a team and that means we can move up as a block into the opposition’s third of the pitch, keep the ball in there longer and occupy the penalty area to better effect.” 

Absentees

Eintracht will be without Kaua Santos, Rasmus Kristensen, Jean-Mattéo Bahoya and Nnamdi Collins.

Wagner, meanwhile, will have to do without Eric Martel (serving a one-match ban after a sending-off for two yellow cards), Timo Hübers and Luca Kilian for his first game in charge. 

One to watch: Said El Mala

Said El Mala needed a mere four minutes to score his tenth goal of the season in the derby with Mönchengladbach. The Krefeld-born forward joined the club from local third-tier side Viktoria Köln ahead of the 2025/26 season, making his top-flight debut on 24 August and opening his account a week later. Since then, he has featured in every match and made a total of 29 appearances in all competitions. 

Said El Mala …

Facts and figures

Köln are without a win in the Bundesliga since their 1-0 victory over Wolfsburg on 30 January, seven matchdays ago. The last time they picked up three points away from home was 3 October 2025 in Hoffenheim on Matchday 6.

Frankfurt have not lost to a promoted side in 17 Bundesliga matches, which is a club record. Their last defeat goes all the way back to October 2021 and a 2-0 loss to Bochum. Earlier in the season, the Eagles won a thriller in Cologne 4-3.