FC Koln will be hoping to move outside of the automatic relegation places when they host Heidenheim in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
The visitors, meanwhile, won three matches in a row prior to the winter break to move into the top half of the table.
Match preview
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Having won just two of their opening 16 league games this season, it was perhaps little surprise when Koln opted to part ways with Steffen Baumgart during the recent winter break. Successive 2-0 defeats to Freiburg and Union Berlin ultimately proved to be the final straw for the club's hierarchy.
Two strong seasons had bought Baumgart more time than perhaps he would otherwise have been given, meaning his replacement Timo Schultz needs to hit the ground running. The 46-year-old has previously managed St Pauli and Basel, but he only lasted 12 games at the latter after making a pretty poor start to his time in charge there earlier this season.
It is certainly a brave appointment by the Billy Goats in that regard, but they have clearly spotted something from Schultz's fledgling years as a manager that could make him a good fit at the club. Having only scored 10 goals so far this season - three fewer than any other team in the division - it is clear where Schultz needs to target making improvements.
While he will be hoping that comes from the outset against Heidenheim - who have the fourth worst defensive record in the Bundesliga so far this season - Schultz will be realistic that these things often take time. Given Koln's precarious position in the table, though, time is not a luxury on their side at this moment.
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Heidenheim, on the other hand, could scarcely have imagined their debut Bundesliga season going any better at almost the halfway stage. They head into Saturday's encounter with double the points tally of Mainz 05, Koln and SV Darmstadt 98's inside the relegation spots, meaning that they are 10 points clear of danger.
Indeed, head coach Frank Schmidt and his players may have been gutted regarding the timing of the recent winter break given their excellent form heading into it. Heidenheim defeated Darmstadt, Mainz and Freiburg to jump above Wolfsburg into ninth position.
While their defensive record is far from watertight, only the top seven teams plus Borussia Monchengladbach have scored more goals than Schmidt's side so far this season. This has made them one of the most watchable teams in the division, especially given their tendency to give some of the bigger teams in Germany a bloody nose on more occasions than not.
However, Schmidt will not be counting any chickens just yet, as he will be aware that his side have much more work to do to ensure that their stay in the Bundesliga is not a brief one. Beating another struggling opponent on Saturday would certainly do wonders to strengthen their already healthy position in the table.
Team News
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Koln will remain without Leart Paqarada and Sargis Adamyan due to muscle injuries, while Mark Uth is out until at least late February due to a serious knee issue. Dejan Ljubicic's involvement could be doubtful due to illness.
Schultz may look to get club captain Florian Kainz immediately on side by naming the 31-year-old in his first starting XI, but David Selke should retain his spot in attack.
Heidenheim, meanwhile, will travel without Elidon Qenaj, Thomas Keller, and Denis Thomalla due to injury. Jan Schoppner has been struggling with an ankle issue, but the midfielder should overcome this to start.
Providing that is the case, Schmidt may choose to name an unchanged starting XI from the team which dispatched Freiburg 3-2 in their last match prior to the winter break. This would mean that Marvin Pieringer and Tim Kleindienst start as an attacking duo once again.
FC Koln possible starting lineup:
Schwabe; Cartsensen, Hubers, Chabot, Katterbach; Huseinbasic, Martel; Thielmann, Kainz, Maina; Selke
Heidenheim possible starting lineup:
Muller; Busch, Mainka, Gimber, Fohrenbach; Dinkci, Schoppner, Maloney, Beck; Pieringer, Kleindienst
We say: FC Koln 1-1 Heidenheim
Based on recent form, there would only be one winner in this match, but that could go out of the window to some extent given the gap between fixtures. Koln are also a relatively unknown entity given their change of managers.
We can envisage Schultz getting off to a decent start by avoiding defeat, but Heidenheim should have enough quality and confidence to return home with another point to add to their tally.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Brett Curtis
