Die Schwarzgelben take on Köln in match that will see BVB climb into the upper tier of the Bundesliga race. After three consecutive draws they are anxious to get in the win column but will need to get past a physical Köln squad.BVB's manager Jürgen Klopp will have to shift his lineup around as Dedê's replacement Marcel Schmelzer is out with a muscle strain and unlikely to return to the Hamburger SV match at the earliest. Marc Kruska will also miss the match with a a broken toe and Jakub Błaszczykowski might be pulled-back after breaking his nose against Hertha Berlin. The only way Kuba is ready-to-go but might be held back for his own good considering his injuries are mounting up and BVB has a tough schedule ahead. Diego Klimowicz, Mohamed Zidan and Alexander Frei are likely to team-up in the front line if he is sat.
Köln's return to the top flight of the Bundesliga has been seamless and Christoph Daum has them playing tough football and although they haven't been able to produce a lot of goals, they will not make many errors. They are likely to use a 4-2-3-1, which poses a lot of new tests for BVB as they die Geißböcke with provide plenty of support for the rear-guard and won't be had in the channels. Attacking midfielders Roda Antar, Fabrice Ehret and Nemanja Vučićević will look to free-up lone striker Milivoje Novakovič. Petit and Kevin Pezzoni will supply central defense and will provide plenty of cover for the back-line of Mišo Brečko, Pedro Geromel, Youssef Mohamad and Pierre Wome.
