[Watch TV<<] Köln vs Wolfsburg live 25 February 2023
Having followed six consecutive wins with a five-match winless run, Wolfsburg find themselves among six teams vying for seventh place and a possible route into Europe. Niko Kovac's side have lost to Werder Bremen, Union Berlin (DFB Cup), Bayern and Leipzig during their on-going malaise, drawing the other with Schalke, and travel to Cologne without regular centre-back Sebastiaan Bornauw. Maxence Lacroix was a doubt going into the match but is fit enough to start in Bornauw'splace. Striker Lukas Nmecha misses out in attack, with Omar Marmoush leading the line. Meanwhile, Ridle Baku is pushed further forward, with Kilian Fischer brought in at right-back. Watch: Cologne won 4-2 in Wolfsburg earlier this seasonMatch stats Skhiri is - along with Frankfurt's Randal Kolo Muani - the Bundesliga's leading scorer in 2023 with five goals.
Cologne vs. Wolfsburg: CONFIRMED teams, match stats and LIVE blog! Can Ellyes Skhiri keep the party going in Cologne against out-of-form Wolfsburg? - © Imago Can Ellyes Skhiri keep the party going in Cologne against out-of-form Wolfsburg? - © Imagobundesliga37 minutes agoIn-form Ellyes Skhiri will seek to keep Cologne's strong recent home record going against a Wolfsburg side eager to return to winning ways (kick-off: Saturday 3. 30pm CET). Latest Click here for the Cologne vs. Wolfsburg LIVE blog! Cologne is known for noisy celebrations at this time of year - with the city's carnival festivities reaching a crescendo this past week - and there's been plenty to celebrate at the RheinEnergieStadion in the early part of 2023.
However, as a team, the Wolves have not found the net in their last two league games, having scored in their previous 12. Wolfsburg are winless in four league games, picking up just a single point in that run - only Hoffenheim have a worse record in the Rückrunde. It's Wolfsburg's worst ever start to the second half of a Bundesliga season. Ex-Cologne man Yannick Gerhardt scored the only goal as Wolfsburg won at the RheinEnergieStadion last term. Get Skhiri for your Fantasy team for 9. 6M! CONFIRMED teams Cologne: Schwäbe - Schindler, Hübers, Chabot, Hector (c) - Skhiri - Maina, Olesen, Ljubicic – Selke, Tigges Subs: Horn, Köbbing, Soldo, Martel, Lemperle, Adamyan, Downs, Diehl Out: Andersson (knee), Dietz (cruciate ligament), Kilian (muscular), Limnios (cruciate ligament), Pedersen (muscular), Uth (pelvis), Thielmann (thigh) Coach: Steffen Baumgart Wolfsburg: Casteels - Fischer, Lacroix, Van de Ven, Otavio - Svanberg, Arnold (c), Gerhardt - Baku, Marmoush, Wimmer Subs: Pervan, Kaminski, F.
Cologne vs VfL Wolfsburg Live Stream, Predictions
Cologne are strong in the Domstadt, picking up seven points from their three home games in 2023 with a cumulative goal difference of 10-1. Cologne have clocked up the most kilometres per game of any Bundesliga team this season with Skhiri leading players league-wide. Ridle Baku is Wolfsburg's leading scorer this season with five goals.
Köln v Wolfsburg Live Commentary - Bundesliga - Goal.com
A bumper 7-1 home win over Werder Bremen was followed by draws with leaders Bayern Munich, bottom side Schalke and title hopefuls RB Leipzig, before Skhiri added to his brace against Bremen with another double in a 3-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt. The Billy Goats' unbeaten start was ended by VfB Stuttgart last weekend, but head coach Steffen Baumgart is unlikely to hit the panic button given their earlier five-game streak. The return of suspension-free defender Timo Hübers is an expected one, with Nikola Soldo making way.
Soccer, Germany: Results, Fixtures, 1. FC Koln v Wolfsburg live