Borussia Dortmund vs Cologne preview - Klopp: It's a six-pointer

Posted Saturday, March 14, 2015 by PA

Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp has branded his side's clash with Cologne on Saturday evening a "relegation six-pointer" with last weekend's draw at Hamburg serving as a reminder that the Westphalians are not yet safe.

Dortmund's four-game winning streak was ended in northern Germany a week ago and with only six points still separating them from the bottom three, Klopp is not yet ready to say his side are safe from the threat of relegation.

Cologne are just one point behind Dortmund, which is why victory is important to put a bit of daylight between themselves and a fellow struggler.

"It's a relegation six-pointer," Klopp said at a press conference. "We can put a four-point gap between us and that is what we want.

"When you are up against a direct rival, then it's about six points and in six-point games like these, there is no favourite.

"We've just got to prove that we want to get the job done. It's going to be intense, but we've got to be ready for it."

In the back of his mind, Klopp will be hoping it will not be too intense, considering that four days later his side face a crucial Champions League tie with Juventus, trailing 2-1 from the first leg in Italy.

On the outside, though, he did not want to talk about that game at the Westfalenstadion, until this first one is over, but his suggestion that Nuri Sahin will not be risked this weekend was enough to prove he does have both games on his mind.

Cologne are only focusing on this one, on the other hand, as they look to complete a double over their North-Rhine Westphalia rivals.

"Of course we're really looking forward to it and I hope that we're still in high spirits after the 90 minutes are over," said coach Peter Stoger.

"We know how strong our opponents are, yet we're ready to accept the challenge.

"We're going to do everything to survive in Dortmund."

Stoger welcomes back Pawel Olkowski and Adam Matuschyk, but Kevin Wimmer is suspended and Yannick Gerhardt still suffering from glandular fever.