1. FC Koln vs Schalke 04 prediction: the Rhineland derby returns to the Bundesliga on Saturday as 1. FC Köln welcome Schalke 04 to a sold-out RheinEnergieStadion for a 14:30 WAT kickoff. René Wagner’s hosts sit 12th with seven points from six matches and remain unbeaten on their own turf (W2 D1), while newly promoted Schalke, led by Miron Muslić, are 15th with five points — just two points above the relegation zone.
Both sides arrive smarting from last weekend’s 1-0 reverses — Köln beaten at Eintracht Frankfurt and Schalke beaten at home by Mainz 05 — and our 1. FC Koln vs Schalke 04 prediction backs the hosts to extend a decade of derby dominance. Köln have won six of the last seven competitive meetings and Schalke have not beaten them in the league since March 2016. A Köln win could lift the Billy Goats level with fifth-placed Mainz, while another Schalke defeat could drag the Royal Blues into the bottom three — and the visitors bring the division’s worst attack, just four goals in six games, with a depleted forward line.
1. FC Köln vs Schalke 04 Match Preview
Köln have made their home ground a fortress, earning all seven of their points at the RheinEnergieStadion, but they are winless away in 16 games stretching back over a year — so this home derby could hardly have arrived at a better time. Schalke, meanwhile, have failed to score in four of their six league games and come into the weekend off consecutive 1-0 defeats to Mainz and Freiburg. Muslić has named Said El Mala — Köln’s joint-top scorer with two goals — as the danger man, but the hosts will fancy their chances of another clean sheet in this fixture.
Team Recent Form
1. FC Köln — L-W-D-L-D (12th, 7 pts):
- 16 Oct: Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 Köln (Bundesliga)
- 11 Oct: Köln 2-1 Gladbach (Bundesliga)
- 3 Oct: Viktoria Köln 2-2 Köln (friendly)
- 19 Sep: Hamburg 2-1 Köln (Bundesliga)
- 12 Sep: Köln 1-1 Werder Bremen (Bundesliga)
Schalke 04 — L-L-W-W-D (15th, 5 pts):
- 17 Oct: Schalke 04 0-1 Mainz 05 (Bundesliga)
- 11 Oct: Freiburg 2-1 Schalke 04 (Bundesliga)
- 3 Oct: Austria Lustenau 0-1 Schalke 04 (friendly)
- 24 Sep: Oberhausen 2-5 Schalke 04 (friendly)
- 20 Sep: Schalke 04 0-0 Elversberg (Bundesliga)
Key Stats
- Köln have earned all seven of their points at home and are unbeaten at the RheinEnergieStadion this season (W2 D1), but are winless away in 16 games stretching back over a year.
- Schalke have scored only four goals in six league games — the fewest of any Bundesliga side — and have failed to score in four of six matches.
- Köln have won six of the last seven competitive meetings with Schalke; Schalke’s last league win over Köln was 3-1 in March 2016.
Correct Score Prediction
2-0 — Köln’s unbeaten home record and a decade of derby dominance against the division’s worst attack point to a comfortable win for the hosts.
1. FC Köln vs Schalke 04 H2H
- 9 Feb 2025: Köln 1-0 Schalke 04 (2. Bundesliga, Cologne)
- 1 Sep 2024: Schalke 04 1-3 Köln (2. Bundesliga, Gelsenkirchen)
- 29 Jan 2023: Schalke 04 0-0 Köln (Bundesliga)
- 7 Aug 2022: Köln 3-1 Schalke 04 (Bundesliga, Cologne)
Pre Game Odds
- 1. FC Köln win: 2.12
- Draw: 3.98
- Schalke 04 win: 3.43
Odds via 1xBet (sportytrader).
Team News 1. FC Köln
René Wagner’s hosts are without strikers Thijs Dallinga (cruciate ligament) and Ragnar Ache (thigh, unlikely to feature), while centre-backs Timo Hubers (knee) and Rav van den Berg (muscle) and midfielder Ellyes Skhiri (ankle) are also sidelined.
Team News Schalke 04
Striker Moussa Sylla (leg), captain Kenan Karaman (knee), Dejan Ljubicic (muscle), centre-back Maximilian Wober (thigh) and Ron Schallenberg are all unavailable for Miron Muslić. The one boost: Edin Dzeko is available, with the manager confident he will be ready to play.
Possible Lineups
1. FC Köln possible XI: Schwabe; Sebulonsen, Simpson-Pusey, Locoshvili, Sosa; Krauss; Johannesson, Maina; Moore; Bulter, El Mala.
Schalke 04 possible XI: Karius; Kurucay, Katic, Becker; Gantenbein, Tanaka, El-Faouzi, Gosens; Adamu, Aouchiche; Dzeko.
One to watch: Said El Mala is Köln’s joint-top scorer with two goals and Muslić’s named danger man.
1. FC Köln vs Schalke 04 Betting Tips
- Tip 1 — Result: 1. FC Köln win
- Tip 2 — Over-Under 2.5: Under 2.5 goals
- Tip 3 — BTTS Yes-No: No
For more Bundesliga previews, read our Eintracht Frankfurt vs 1. FC Cologne prediction, and compare notes with the Sports Mole 1. FC Köln vs Schalke 04 preview ahead of Saturday’s 14:30 WAT kickoff.
1. FC Koln vs Schalke 04 prediction: our verdict
Everything about this derby points one way: home strength, a decade of derby dominance and the division’s worst attack. Our 1. FC Koln vs Schalke 04 prediction is a 2-0 home win in Saturday’s 14:30 WAT kickoff, with under 2.5 goals and another blank for Schalke’s misfiring forwards.
