Highlights
W. Haslberger
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90'
+ 5
Conclusion
Cologne are autumn champions! With another tight away victory (the fourth 1-0 away win in a row), they climb to the top. In an evenly matched game at the Betzenberg, Ljubicic's header is enough to win the match.
Full-time
90'
+ 4
90'
+ 3
Visitors playing it smart
In these final minutes, Cologne are keeping the ball away from their own goal and running down the clock.
90'
+ 1
Stoppage time begins
Four minutes of added time.
90'
Autumn championship within reach!
At the moment, it looks like Cologne could secure the top spot in the table and thus the autumn championship with this away victory.
90'
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes
Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.
89'
Substitution
88'
Paqarada misses pass
There's plenty of space on the left side and the left-back breaks through. Instead of crossing, he decides to dribble to the byline and then loses the ball. There was more potential in that move!
86'
Defence strengthened
The tall Bakatukanda reinforces the centre of defence in anticipation of high balls. Paqarada likely moves out to his left-back position.
85'
Substitution
83'
Opoku!
The striker sets himself up with a pass at the edge of the penalty area and then aims for the left corner. Schwäbe dives and claws the ball out of the corner!
81'
Time-wasting
The Cologne goalkeeper takes too long with his goal kick - Yellow card!
79'
Maina again!
Once more, the speedy Maina is sent on a run and breaks through on the left side of the penalty area. Krahl manages to save the shot, which again lacks proper placement.
78'
Substitution
77'
That should have been 2-0!
Cologne miss the big chance to seal the deal. Tigges pokes the ball through to Maina, who only has Krahl to beat. His finish is too central, allowing Krahl to keep Lautern in the game. Tigges also fails to convert the rebound.
74'
Substitution
73'
Hardly any relief
Cologne are struggling to have an impact on this half. The away side are almost exclusively occupied with defending.
71'
Opoku causes trouble
The substituted striker is causing Cologne's defence plenty of problems since coming on.
67'
Loud protest
Heuer loudly protests after being called for a foul and is shown a yellow card.
66'
Hosts working on an equaliser
In the last few minutes, the home side have been pushing the visitors deep into their own half. An equaliser is on the cards!
63'
Still more aggressive
On average, Lautern need only about nine seconds to regain possession after losing the ball. For the visitors, it takes twice as long!
63'
Ball Recovery Time
Ball Recovery Time
Ball Recovery Time gives the time in seconds in which it takes a team to win back the ball following a loss of possession. It also allows conclusions to be drawn about a team's style of play. Only time when the ball is in play is counted (i.e. no breaks in play such as for goal-kicks, throw-ins etc).
63'
Substitution
63'
Substitution
58'
Beautiful cross
Paqarada is advancing down the left wing and then delivers a precise low cross into the space behind the defence. Huseinbašić manages to get to the ball but is immediately put under pressure and loses possession.
56'
Shirt pulled
First Gyamerah loses the ball, then he pulls Finkgräfe's shirt.
55'
Lead is deserved
xGoals
The xGoals value of a club is calculated from the sum of all goal probabilities (goals and shots on goal) of that team. During a match, it’s easy to see whether the club is performing better than expected (goals > xGoals) - or maybe even higher (xGoals > goals).
xGoals
0
0.41
1.23
1
Goals
52'
Downs too late
Huseinbašić delivers a sharp cross from the right side in front of the goal, Downs is just centimetres away from reaching the ball with the tip of his foot.
49'
Getting back into it
The weather has improved, but in terms of play, both teams are still searching for their rhythm in this second half. There's no flow to the game yet.
46'
We're back underway!
Both teams are back on the pitch and the visitors kick off the second half. Ljubicic remains in the dressing room, as he was at high risk of receiving a second yellow card.
Kick-off!
45'
+ 2
Substitution
45'
+ 2
Half-time at the Betzenberg
Cologne are leading deservedly and are on course for the autumn championship thanks to Ljubicic's goal! After a strong opening phase from Köln, Lautern took control of the match. It was only shortly before the break that Köln became more dangerous again and rewarded themselves with the lead. The game is still wide open.
Half-time
45'
+ 1
Stoppage time begins
There will be one minute added on.
45'
No danger after header
A corner from the left side reaches Hübers, who rises up from about eight metres out and heads it straight at Krahl.
43'
How will Lautern respond?
At the moment, the hosts are struggling to find a way to respond to the goal. They are working hard, but aren't creating any clear-cut chances.
40'
The first yellow card
The goalscorer catches Gyamerah from behind and receives the first yellow card of the match.
37'
Downs fails to connect with the ball
A superb long ball from Finkgräfe reaches Downs, who attempts a first-time shot from about ten metres out. However, he fails to make contact with the ball, and the chance goes begging.
35'
The third goal of the season
Ljubicic scored his third goal of the season; previously, he had only scored on Matchday 3 in the home game against Braunschweig, but he scored twice then. With his goal, Cologne are currently on course for the autumn championship!
33'
Ljubicic heads it in!
Once again it's a free kick and once again Lautern don't defend it. Maina receives a through ball on the right to the byline and crosses at to the far post. Ljubicic rises high and heads in unopposed for the lead!
Goal probability
Goal probability
Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.
Distance to Goal
Distance to Goal
The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.
31'
Downs!
Köln take a quick free kick from the right. Downs receives the ball inside the area and crosses from a tight angle, but Krahl sticks out his leg and clears the danger!
30'
Yokota with brilliant technique
The Japanese player has stood out in the first half-hour with his dribbling ability. On this slippery pitch, he is difficult to defend against.
30'
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes
Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.
26'
Sliced off the instep
Wekesser mishits his attempted cross from the left side and sends the ball several metres wide of the goal. There's a lack of precision on both sides at the moment.
24'
Too long
Maina delivers the first Cologne corner from the right side, but fails to find a teammate. Lautern manages to clear.
21'
Lautern slightly more aggressive
The home side are currently winning the ball back on average seven seconds earlier than the visitors.
21'
Ball Recovery Time
Ball Recovery Time
Ball Recovery Time gives the time in seconds in which it takes a team to win back the ball following a loss of possession. It also allows conclusions to be drawn about a team's style of play. Only time when the ball is in play is counted (i.e. no breaks in play such as for goal-kicks, throw-ins etc).
20'
Match now evenly balanced
Lautern have now settled into the game and are playing well. There have been chances on both sides. An entertaining match after nearly 20 minutes.
High tempo
© Christian Kaspar-Bartke
17'
Gyamerah with a chip!
Yokota plays a brilliant chipped pass into the penalty area, which Gyamerah collects. He then tries to outwit Scwäbe with a chip, but puts the ball about a metre wide of the far post.
13'
He must score that!
Maina breaks free on a counter-attack. He's caught by the Lautern defenders inside the penalty area and loses the ball. The ball then falls to Finkgräfe, who blazes his shot over from close range.
11'
First attempt
Yokota plays it out to the left into the penalty area, where Wekesser shoots first-time with the inside of his foot. Schwäbe tips the ball over the crossbar.
8'
Opening phase belongs to the visitors
In the first few minutes, Cologne are almost exclusively in control. They definitely want to seal the victory and the autumn championship here!
5'
No taker in the middle
Maina drives down the left-hand side of the area and crosses into the six-yard area, but no Cologne player is there to finish.
2'
First sign of danger!
Downs wins the ball in his own half and then drives it forward with quick steps. He plays it out to the right to Kainz, who finds Maina in front of goal with his cross. Maina tries a backheel, but Krahl is there to save it.
1'
Kick-off!
The home side kick off and are playing in their familiar red shirts. The visitors from Köln are in blue.
Kick-off!
Minute of silence underway
A minute of silence is currently being observed in the stadium for the victims of the attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market on Friday evening.
Five changes for Lautern
After the 5-1 defeat in Darmstadt, five changes have been made. Elvedi, Gyamerah, Aremu, Wekesser and Mause are given the chance to start today.
A change for Köln
Finkgräfe replaces the injured Heintz in the starting lineup. He takes over the left side of defence, while Paqarada moves into the unfamiliar position of centre-back.
The starting eleven for Kaiserslautern
Krahl - Heuer, Elvedi, Sirch - Gyamerah, Aremu, Tomiak, Wekesser - Yokota, Hanslik - Mause
This is how Cologne lines up
Schwäbe - Thielmann, Hübers (c), Martel, Finkgräfe - Ljubicic, Huseinbašić - Maina, Kainz, Paqarada - Downs
The path to the autumn championship
Both teams can still jump to the top today. A win is enough for Cologne to secure first place in any case. Kaiserslautern also still have a chance, but would then have rely on Hannover. If Hannover wins, Lautern would need to have a better goal difference. Currently, the Palatinate side has a worse goal difference (+4) than Hannover (+5).
Minute’s silence for victims of attack in Magdeburg
© IMAGO/opokupix
High-profile departure
Cologne will lose their most prolific goalscorer at the end of the season as Tim Lemperle will be leaving the club when his contract expires. On Friday, during the pre-match press conference, the club's sporting director Christian Keller explained: "It is correct that Tim has informed us that he wants to leave the club because he wishes to take on a new challenge next season. Until then, he will continue to play for us with full commitment."
Markus Anfang on facing Cologne
"Cologne have developed a lot, and it will be a difficult task. Our fans are well-disposed towards us, which was really noticeable even after the defeat in Darmstadt. We want to produce the appropriate reaction and do better."
Gerhard Struber on facing Kaiserslautern
"We need to operate at our very best to be able to win at the Betzenbergstadion. Kaiserslautern have shown themselves to be very strong at home. It will be a big test for us. However, we know what it takes to get a win there."
Signs pointing to a home win?
There has not been an away win in this fixture in a total of eight matches in Bundesliga 2. Kaiserslautern have managed two wins and two draws at home.
Good record
Overall, Kaiserslautern are unbeaten in five matches against Cologne (two wins, three draws). The last victory for the Billy Goats was on 5 February 2012, winning 1-0 away from home in the Bundesliga.
No goals
Now both clubs are playing in the same league for the first time since the 2013/14 season, when they played out two 0-0 draws.
Cup rivals
Kaiserslautern and Cologne faced each other in the DFB Cup last season, when the Bundesliga 2 side, Kaiserslautern, defeated the Bundesliga team 3-2 at home in the second round.
Hello and welcome!
Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 17 fixture between 1. FC Kaiserslautern and 1. FC Köln.