Week 18 features a match on Sunday Jan 29th, where Schalke 04 and Köln will play a match in Gelsenkirchen in a clash of the Bundesliga. The game day is forecasted to be a cloudy and cold day, and temperatures reaching a maximum of only 2 degrees, so hopefuly the match makes up for the weather. In their last match, Schalke 04 recorded a 1-6 blowout loss against RB Leipzig. André Silva struck first for RB Leipzig in the 7th minute, then Benjamin Henrichs added another in the 15th minute. Schalke 04 looks to improve on their recent performance, having lost 9 of their last 10, while köln is fresh off their 1-1 draw against Bayern München. Ellyes Skhiri scored the first goal for Köln in the 4th minute, then Joshua Kimmich tied it up for Bayern München in the 90th minute earning Bayern München at least a draw. Köln is looking for direction having 3 win and 5 losses in their last 10 matches.
In their last match together, in Rheinenergiestadion, Köln won by a score of 3 to 1 in front of almost 50000 jubilant spectators. Luca Kilian struck first for Köln in the 49th minute, then Florian Kainz added another in the 65th minute on a feed from Sargis Adamyan.
Both Denis Huseinbasic and Ellyes Skhiri have been the hottest scorers for Köln in the last 5 each having scored 3 goals each. Soichiro Kozuki has been the most effective weapon for Schalke 04 lately. The Japaneese midfielder has netted two goals in his last 5 matches
Thomas Reis’s Schalke 04 squad will be without Alex Král, Thomas Ouwejan, Leo Greiml, Rodrigo Zalazar Martínez, Niklas Tauer, Ibrahima Cissé and Mark Uth, while Steffen Baumgart’s squad will be without Jan Thielmann, Luca Kilian, Lemperle and Florian Dietz.