Cologne – Borussia Dortmund: BVB must pull themselves together 
Saturday night at the RheinEnergieStadion and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Cologne, stuck in a relegation scrap, host a downbeat Borussia Dortmund desperate to stop the slide. The home side sit just two points above the drop; the visitors need a result, fast.
Cologne can feel relegation breathing down their neck 
The pressure’s turned up on Cologne. No wins in their last four league outings. Lukas Kwasniok’s squad are deep in a relegation nightmare. Since early February it’s been dire: one measly point collected and heavy defeats to Leipzig, Stuttgart and Augsburg.
Their biggest weakness is the back line — it’s leaking everywhere (worst defence outside the relegation zone, nine goals conceded in the last four games alone). Still, it’s not all doom. The attack is doing its job (best scoring return among the bottom half) and they bite at home. Seven points from their last four home matches give Cologne a few reasons for hope and something to sell to the crowd.
Dortmund in a full-blown nightmare 
Dortmund aren’t battling relegation, but the past fortnight has been brutal. First the European horror show: Niko Kovac’s side somehow threw away a two-goal lead to Atalanta and limped out of the Champions League playoffs.
Then, to add insult to injury, BVB waved goodbye to their slim title hopes days later, losing 3-2 at home to the Bavarian powerhouse. With two months left, the season now boils down to one thing: cling to a top-four spot and secure next season’s Champions League. A rude awakening for a club built to challenge at the top. The urgent task for Kovac and his players? Stop the rot — three games without a win — and grab a victory they haven’t managed since mid-February at Mainz.
Likely lineups
FC Cologne : Schwabe ; Van den Berg, Simpson-Pusey, Ozkacar ; Castro-Montes, Martel, Krauss, Lund ; Kaminski, El Mala ; Ache
Borussia Dortmund : Kobel ; Reggiani, Anton, Schlotterbeck ; Ryerson, Sabitzer, Nmecha, Svensson ; Brandt, Silva, Beier
Football Prediction FC Cologne vs Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund to win
Cologne are playing for their top-flight lives and will throw everything at their raucous home crowd to move clear of trouble. Problem is, their fragile defence looks likely to crack under Dortmund’s pressure.
Even with Dortmund in a rough patch, pride should kick in for the Yellow-and-Blacks. Stung by recent setbacks and desperate to right the ship, Kovac’s men have the quality to get going again and nick the three points.
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