VfL Bochum will be aiming to move off the foot of the table when they visit FC Koln in the Bundesliga on Friday evening.

The hosts, meanwhile, will be hoping to build on a solid 0-0 draw away to Union Berlin from their last league match.

Whilst Cologne linger in 12th-place in the Bundesliga after previously struggling to balance the demands of both their European engagements and domestic duties, manager Steffen Baumgart has reportedly been awarded a contract extension due to his solid work at the club across his 69 games in charge to date (W25, D21, L23).

Despite halting a run of back-to-back defeats with a draw against Union Berlin last time out, the Billy Goats are still seeking a first goal in over four-and-a-half hours of league play which serves as Cologne’s longest run since a five-game streak ending in January 2021. The hosts are hot favourites to bounce back against rock-bottom Bochum, yet Cologne’s mere 38% win-rate when fancied by the bookmakers is amongst the worst in the Bundesliga (W3, D3, L2).

Players to watch: Florian Kainz could be the man to help end Cologne’s scoring drought having contributed to over a third of their league goals this term (G5, A6) including an assist in their last win. Harbouring similar aspirations, Christopher Antwi-Adjei (G2, A6) could be the catalyst for a Bochum scoring revival as one of the only two players this season to hit a hat-trick of assists in a single game.

Hot stat: Bochum have conceded a league-high 14 times after the 75th minute, which is also Cologne’s most profitable interval in terms of goals scored (G8).

FC Koln possible starting lineup:

Schwabe; Schmitz, Hubers, Chabot, Hector; Martel, Skhiri; Maina, Ljubicic, Kainz; Tigges

VfL Bochum possible starting lineup:

Riemann; Janko, Masovic, Schlotterbeck, Soares; Forster, Kunde, Stoger; Asano, Hofmann, Antwi-Adjei

Koln have lacked potency in attack in recent weeks, but their defensive record has been excellent on the whole, which should help them return to winning ways on Friday.

Bochum’s away form has remained wretched all season long – winning just once on the road in the league – and they are likely to remain bottom by suffering another defeat.