On Friday, February 9, 2025, the Bundesliga.2 leader will meet the 13th team of the championship in the fight to retain first place. Our experts have analyzed both teams and prepared prediction for match 1. FC Köln vs FC Schalke 04.
Köln vs Schalke 04: What to Expect
1. FC Köln
The hosts do not stop and continue to dominate the second German league. They managed to consolidate their leadership, among other things, thanks to an away victory against Eintracht Braunschweig (1:2).
What is worth noting before making a prediction for the upcoming match is that Eintracht is a team that is also in the bottom half of the standings, yet they took the lead against 1. FC Köln in the first minute, can Schalke 04 repeat this trick?
However, despite such a shocking start, Martel and Downs managed to turn the game around and bring it to a victorious conclusion before the end of the first half.
The hosts surprised everyone even more in the DFB-Pokal 1 match against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, where Gerhard Struber’s men almost knocked the German champion out of the national cup. 1. FC Köln led against Bayer 04 almost until the very end of the game, until Patrik Shick equalized with a 90+6 goal and Victor Boniface snatched the victory for the guests in extra time – 3:2.
FC Schalke 04
Gelsenkirchen cannot boast of such a positive result. Schalke also conceded the first goal in their home match against 1. FC Magdeburg, but they never managed to regain control of the game. Die Knappen conceded five goals, four of which were scored by Martijn Kaars, which is important for predicting whether they will be able to keep Linton Maina or Damion Dawns in the match Köln vs Schalke if even the defense of the reigning Bundesliga champion could not cope with them.
However, Schalke still has chances in the next match, because before the crushing defeat by Magdeburg, the team was doing quite well, having a five-match unbeaten streak, and Gelsenkirchen has not lost on the road since October last year.
1. FC Köln vs FC Schalke 04: Head-to-Head
In the long history of confrontations between FC Köln and FC Schalke, the team from Gelsenkirchen has not won since 2018, when they defeated this opponent in the DFB-Pokal in a penalty shootout 1:1 (5:6), and they did not win in the Bundesliga for another year longer.
The first-round match also ended in favor of 1. FC Köln – 1:3.
| Köln vs Schalke H2H | |||
| 2024/25 Season | |||
| FC Schalke 04 | 1 | 0 | 1. FC Köln |
| 2022/23 Season | |||
| 1. FC Köln | 3 | 4 | FC Schalke 04 |
| FC Schalke 04 | 0 | 1 | 1. FC Köln |
| 2020/21 Season | |||
| 1. FC Köln | 6 | 1 | FC Schalke 04 |
| FC Schalke 04 | 1 | 2 | 1. FC Köln |
Possible Lineups
| 1. FC Köln | |||||
| Predicted Lineup | Injuries and Suspensions | ||||
| Goalkeepers | M. Schwabe | ||||
| Defenders | N. Soldo, D. Heintz, J. Schmied | L. Kilian, J. Pauli, T. Hübers, M. Finkgrafe | |||
| Midfielders | J. Gazibegovic, D. Ljubicic, D. Huseinbašić, L. Paqarada, F. Kainz | J. C. Christensen, M. Uth, M. Olesen, F. Kainz | |||
| Forwards | D. Downs, L. Maina | T. Lemperle | |||
| FC Schalke 04 | |||||
| Predicted Lineup | Injuries and Suspensions | ||||
| Goalkeepers | J. Heekeren | ||||
| Defenders | A. Donkor, M. Kaminski, R. Schallenberg, T. Bulut | ||||
| Midfielders | J. Bachmann, M. Gruger, T. Mohr, K. Karaman, M. Aydin | A. Younes, P. Seguin | |||
| Forwards | M. Sylla | E. Højlund | |||
Köln vs Schalke Match Prediction
If you look at the statistics and playing form of the teams, you’ll notice that the teams rarely left the field without scoring a goal, even Schalke, which is at the bottom of the standings, consistently scores, not to mention the home team. So, the prediction for the upcoming match will be aimed at this.
Köln vs Schalke prediction: Both teams will score.
| The Match Prediction | ||
| Both Teams to Score (~ odds at 1.56) | ||
