Preview:Borussia Dortmund vs FC Koln - prediction, team news, lineups

A win for visitors FC Koln against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday would be a significant setback for the hosts in their quest for the Bundesliga crown.

Fourth-placed BVB were beaten 2-1 by league leaders Bayern Munich last Saturday and have 14 points, while their newly-promoted opponents drew 1-1 with Augsburg on the same day and are sixth with 11 points.

Match preview

Dortmund's defeat against Bayern extended the gap to the Bavarians to seven points after just seven matches, but boss Niko Kovac will know that his side have little hope of overcoming that deficit without improvement at the back.

Black and Yellow have conceded five times in their three most recent outings and have failed to keep a clean sheet in four matches, whereas they had prevented their opponents from scoring in five of their first seven fixtures of 2025-26.

BVB's productivity has remained excellent despite their defensive slump, with the club netting four goals against Copenhagen in a 4-2 win in the Champions League on Tuesday, the fifth game that they scored at least three goals in this term.

Kovac has overseen just one victory in his side's past three clashes, losing once and drawing once, but his team had won six and settled for stalemates in two of their prior eight matches.

Dortmund are unbeaten at home in nine games, winning eight times while scoring at least three goals on seven occasions.

The visitors failed to create a single big chance against Augsburg, and their xG tally of 0.58 was almost half the total their opponents managed (1.12).

Only 28 points were needed in 2024-25 to guarantee safety, and FC Koln are currently on track to collect 53 points, which would have been enough to finish sixth.

A defeat on Saturday would extend the Billy Goats' losing streak against BVB to four games, and a victory would be their third in 16 against Dortmund.

Boss Lukas Kwasniok will be concerned by his team's form given they have won just one of their last five Bundesliga fixtures, suffering two defeats and conceding nine goals, while they have also only scored once in each of their past four.

FC Koln have experienced one loss in their five away games this campaign, claiming wins in three of those clashes, though they failed to keep a clean sheet in two of their last three.

Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

FC Koln Bundesliga form:

Team News

Dortmund's only key absentee on Saturday will be Emre Can, who would have been an option in defence, though Nico Schlotterbeck and Waldemar Anton are available to play in their side's three-man backline.

Felix Nmecha scored twice from central midfield against Copenhagen, and though Jobe Bellingham started alongside him in that game, Marcel Sabitzer has more frequently been trusted by Kovac given he has started five more matches (nine) than the former.

Serhou Guirassy would only be left out up front due to an injury, and the striker will expect support from the likes of Julian Brandt and Karim Adeyemi.

As for FC Koln, they will have to contend with the absence of centre-backs Luca Kilian and Rav van den Berg.

Perhaps Joel Schmied, Timo Hubers and Dominique Heintz will be stationed in a back three behind a double pivot of Isak Bergmann Johannesson and Eric Martel.

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Kobel; Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Ryerson, Sabitzer, Nmecha, Svensson; Adeyemi, Brandt; Guirassy

FC Koln possible starting lineup:

Schwabe; Schmied, Hubers, Heintz; Sebulonsen, Johannesson, Martel, Lund; Thielmann, Kaminski; Bulter

We say: Borussia Dortmund 3-1 FC Koln

There is no reason to doubt Dortmund's ability to collect three points, especially as the visitors' form has been mixed.

Though BVB's recent defensive issues suggest they may not keep a clean sheet, their firepower up front should be enough to get the better of FC Koln on the weekend.

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