A "performance like last season" ahead of #KOETSG

Julian Nagelsmann on...

... the opponent.

I don’t know if Köln’s UEFA Europa League win is a good or bad thing for us. If they had lost they would have been seriously under pressure. That pressure has been relieved a little now. But Köln approach each competition separately, so the win brings them nothing in the Bundesliga. They still have very few points and need to win in the league.

... the team.

Benjamin Hübner suffered a trip before the match in Istanbul and caused a muscular strain in his shin. He may be available again for the match against Köln. Otherwise, none of the recently-injured players will be back. We need to wait and see with Kevin Vogt because there hasn’t been any diagnosis yet. But the pain in his knee isn’t so bad any more.

... the sporting situation I.

The games are coming thick and fast, both for us and Köln. They won on Thursday and will have gained a lot of confidence. Mentally they will be far more stable now. The workload is similarly big  for both teams. We have lots of injuries, but we can only push through this patch. We want to play in Cologne like we did last season, both in the league and the cup. Despite the thin squad, we’re definitely in a position to do that. We hope to win the game.

... the sporting situation II.

The three late goals against Augsburg, Wolfsburg and Istanbul were frustrating, but you have to look at them and say that all three were very good goals. Gregoritsch smashed the ball in brilliantly, Uduokhai headed perfectly and Visca’s strike was also too good to stop yesterday. When the opponent throws everything forward, they will get chances. That’s how it is. I don’t believe this will cause the team any problems mentally.

Previous meetings

TSG and Köln share an even record in the Bundesliga. Both teams have won on four occasions and six matches have ended in draws. As was the case during the last meeting between the two teams in Cologne, when Kerem Demirbay scored a 90th minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw. That goal guaranteed European qualification for TSG. A goal that will go down in the club’s history books.

Opponent's form

Few people in Cologne will enjoy looking at the Bundesliga table right now. Rock bottom. Zero wins. Two points from ten games. 19 goals conceded and just four scored. However, Köln put up a fight in most of those games, creating more than their fair share of chances. Five of the eight defeats were by just on goal. On Thursday, having lost their opening three group matches in the Europa League, Köln came from behind to beat Bate Borisov 5-2 at home, scoring more goals in a single game than in the entire previous Bundesliga season. 

Key battles

TSG have notched 17 goals in the Bundesliga this season – the fourth best attack in the league. Meanwhile, Köln have shipped 19 goals, a record beaten by only one team (Freiburg, 20). Julian Nagelsmann’s team must take the game to the Billy Goats, attack them, put them under pressure and be clinical. Chance conversion will be a hot topic on Sunday and an early goal from TSG will demotivate the fiery Cologne crowd, who are still euphoric from Thursday night’s win

Match facts and statistics »