At 19:30 on September 1st, in the 4th round of the German Second Division, Schalke 04 hosts Cologne. These two teams have the same number of points, with Schalke 04 hoping to secure three points at home, while Cologne is in good form after a recent victory, making this match highly anticipated.
In the German Second Division standings, Schalke sits in 12th place with 4 points from 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss, while Cologne is in 11th place with the same record.
Schalke started off strong with a 5-1 victory over Braunschweig but only managed 1 draw and 1 loss in their next two away games, falling short of expectations.
During the summer transfer window, Schalke’s only signing over one million euros was Moussa Siyala for 2.5 million euros. In contrast, the team suffered significant losses, with Toprak sold to Werder Bremen for 2 million euros, Foruzan Afshan Vedraogo to RB Leipzig for 10 million euros, and Marius Müller to Wolfsburg for 1.5 million euros.
Within Schalke’s ranks, Dodi Karaman has contributed 4 goals and 1 assist, becoming the top scorer and the player with the most goal contributions. Moussa Siyala has scored 3 goals and provided 1 assist, while Tobias Möllestad has contributed 2 goals and 2 assists.
Cologne exploded in their last match, defeating Braunschweig 5-0 to secure their first win in the league, alleviating their poor start to the season.
In the summer transfer window, Cologne’s biggest move was to buyout Carstens for 1.5 million euros following his loan period. The main departure was the sale of Cebotari to Stuttgart for 4 million euros.
For Cologne, Linton Maina has scored 2 goals and provided 3 assists, making him the player with the most goal contributions. Hübers (out due to injury) scored 2 goals, and Ljubičić contributed 2 goals and 1 assist.
In this match, Schalke has a full squad; Cologne will be without Jakob Kristensen, Finke Gräff, Kainz, Uth, Hübers, and Killian due to injuries.
In previous encounters, Schalke has 42 wins, 28 draws, and 56 losses, putting them at a disadvantage. At Schalke’s home ground, they have 27 wins, 19 draws, and 17 losses against Cologne, giving them an advantage.
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