Union Berlin - 1.FC Köln

Cologne to win at Alte Forsterei

TEAM NEWS

Union Berlin signed defender Nicolai Rapp from Aue while Simon Hedlund and Kevin Prince Redondo left the club during the winter break. With Joshua Mees they have only one player not available for the first match in 2019.

Cologne's list of absentees consists of Louis Schaub, Marco Hoger, Matthias Lehmann, Vincent Koziello and Lasse Sobiech while Jonas Hector is suspended after his fifth yellow card in the last game against Bochum. However, Cologne strengthen their squad with Florian Kainz from Bremen, Johannes Geis from Schalke and Anthony Modeste who is back from China. The only player who left the club was Simon Zoller.

Union Berlin

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Joshua Mees (pulled muscle)

Cologne

Suspended: Jonas Hector

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Louis Schaub (acrooedema), Lasse Sobiech (adductor), Marco Hoger, Vincent Koziello (both ligaments), Matthias Lehmann (Achilles)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: AWAY WIN

Union Berlins’s 17-game unbeaten run (seven wins, 10 draws) came to an end before the break, as Urs Fischer’s boys were beaten 3-0 by Daniel Meyer’s Aue at Erzgebirgs-Stadium. That first league loss for Union was a big setback in promotion race as they fall out of the top three. With three points behind third placed St. Pauli they need the turnaround immediately and get back on track of results like the first half of the campaign.

Cologne were uncharacteristically poor in their last league outing, losing 3-2 on home ground to Bochum. However, that was their last defeat since losing 1-0 to leaders Hamburg back in early November, six league games ago (five wins). Cologne have had their struggle at Rheinenergiestadium of late, but on the road they are very strong with six wins, one draw and only one defeat. 

This will no doubt be an intriguing league game between two teams who are desperate for the points. However, I’m backing Cologne to hit back with a vital victory at Alte Forsterei.

SECOND PREDICTION: HiLOW - HIGH

All three league meetings between the teams at Alte Forsterei have been high-scoring affairs. Expect this trend to continue.

HEAD TO HEAD

The sides have met only three times in the second tier so far, with Cologne winning two and Union one. The opener between the two sides ended with a 1-1  draw back in August.