With the club having lost their first three league matches of the season, Sunday afternoon’s clash with Eintracht has taken on added importance for Köln. Winless in their last 13 Bundesliga games stretching back to last term, Markus Gisdol’s team are currently 16th in the table with zero points from a possible nine. The fact that Gisdol has had little time to bed in his new recruits might go some way to explaining his team’s disappointing start. After all, the majority of Köln’s recent acquisitions were only signed near the end of pre-season, with some joining even later than that.
Solid team performance
Eintracht meanwhile are in a much healthier position. Currently third in the table with their unbeaten record intact, the Eagles are the only Bundesliga side not to have lost any of their last seven league matches stretching back to last season. Bas Dost in particular has started the current campaign in impressive form, scoring one and assisting on the other in the recent 2-1 win over TSG Hoffenheim.
The Dutchman and his strike partner André Silva will be hoping to carry their form over into Sunday’s match, but the most striking aspect of Eintracht’s victory over Hoffenheim was their solid team performance, which made up for the absence of Filip Kostic and Evan Ndicka.
Looking back
These two well-established clubs have faced each other 88 times in the Bundesliga to date, with little to choose between them in the head-to-head stakes. Köln have racked up 32 wins, with 30 for Eintracht and 26 draws. The two teams have served up some memorable encounters over the last ten years, including the Eagles’ 6-2 victory on 12 September 2015.
Match Info
Kick-off: Sunday 3 October, 15:30 CEST, Bundesliga 2020/21, Matchday 4
Stadium: RheinEnergieSTADION, Köln
