11/09 6:30 PM

12/09 1:30 PM

12/09 4:30 PM

13/09 1:30 PM

13/09 3:30 PM

All fixtures →

KOE Cologne Cologne - SVW Bremen Werder Bremen

KOE

1

SVW

1

69'
N. Füllkrug

L. Maina
11'
T. Dallinga
8'

RheinEnergieSTADION(Sold out)

Dr. Florian Exner

Advertisement

39 %Niclas Füllkrug

Niclas Füllkrug

Niclas Füllkrug

Man of the Match Trophy

0:20

Füllkrug on Cologne draw: 'We were strong'

0:09

Watch: Weiser takes in the applause on his return

Full-time: Cologne 1-1 Werder Bremen

It finishes level, and that is probably a fair result. Cologne had the better of the action in the first half, and Bremen were the better side after the break. In the end, Füllkrug's poaching instinct proved enough for Bremen to grab themselves a point away from home.

© IMAGO/pepphoto / Horst Mauelshagen

Full-time

90'

+ 2

Straight in the book

Okon-Engstler has only been on the pitch for two minutes, but he immediately picks up a yellow for catching Weiser with his arm.

90'

+ 2

Yellow card

Paul Okon-Engstler

90'

+ 1

Added time

Four minutes for either side to find a winner.

90'

Wayward

Ache blasts a first-time shot towards goal from the edge of the box, but his effort flies high into the stands.

90'

Substitution

Paul Okon-Engstler

0:16

Bobbled wide

Ache receives the ball in the box with a host of Bremen players around him. He shoots on the spin, and his shot deflects just wide of the post.

87'

Over the bar

Mensah earns himself a yellow card after catching Chuki just outside the box. Grüll steps up and shoots, but his shot has just too much height on it.

86'

Yellow card

85'

Bülter denied

Bülter spins and shoots from outside the box, forcing Hein into a good save.

83'

Substitution

Mitchell Weiser

83'

Weiser returns

After 14 months out with an injury, Weiser makes his return to action.

83'

Substitution

Paul Erevbenagie

81'

Will we see a winner?

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).

It has been an even game, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see another goal.

xGoals

1

1.64

1.39

1

Goals

81'

Substitution

Niclas Füllkrug

81'

Substitution

Mick Schmetgens

74'

El Mala returns

After missing out last weekend due to illness, El Mala is back in action for Cologne. He replaces the lively Moore.

74'

Substitution

73'

Scrappy

Jóhannesson whips in an awkward free-kick that Hein has to parry. It then nearly drops for Bülter, but his effort is charged down in the nick of time.

72'

Deman in the book

Deman catches Moore and earns himself a yellow card.

72'

Yellow card

70'

Substitution

Dariusz Stalmach

Füllkrug levels

And it comes from a corner. The ball is whipped in and met by Pieper. His header is blocked initially by Simpson-Pusey, but Füllkrug pounces on the loose ball in the box and fires home the equaliser.

© IMAGO/Sven Hanisch

69'

Niclas Füllkrug

GOAL!

1:1

Niclas Füllkrug

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.

29 %

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.

6.25 m

66'

Goalkeeper Efficiency of Karl Hein

Goalkeeper Efficiency

Goalkeeper Efficiency compares the number of saves a goalkeeper makes with his expected saves (xSaves). xSaves is calculated with the help of artificial intelligence. When a goalkeeper has a positive efficiency value, it means he has saved more shots than statistically expected.

1.1

Saves4

xSaves2.9

65'

Triple change

Cologne took slightly too long to make all three changes initially, meaning Jóhannesson had to wait longer on the sideline, but now the Iceland international, Ache and Sebulonsen are all on the pitch.

65'

Substitution

65'

Substitution

Ísak Jóhannesson

64'

Mensah denied

The corner is cleared only as far as Mensah. He shoots, but his effort is dealt with easily.

64'

Substitution

Sebastian Sebulonsen

Alessio Castro-Montes

63'

Moore denied

Suddenly, Cologne have a chance to attack through Moore. He burst through the centre at pace before whipping an effort towards the top corner that Schwäbe parries behind for a corner.

62'

Easy for Schwäbe

A cross from the right drops for Deman, but his bouncing volley is well dealt with by Schwäbe.

58'

Dinkçi smashes the bar

Deman's deep cross from the left is nodded back into danger by Füllkrug. Dinkçi is waiting just outside the 6-yard box, and the ball falls to him. He gets everything behind the strike from the angle, and Schwäbe is beaten, but the ball crashes clear of the bar.

56'

Bremen setting the pace

The visitors have been much more free-flowing since the break and currently look more likely to score the next goal.

53'

Chuki denied

Regeer slots a neat pass through a defender's legs for Chuki in the box. He hits it first-time from an angle, and Schwäbe has to react quickly to turn the shot behind for a corner. The resulting set-piece comes to nothing.

52'

Pressure Handling

Pressure Handling

This Match Fact examines how successfully players perform under pressure. The percentage of "solved situations" indicates how often a player has freed himself from opponent pressure by dribbling, passing, scoring a goal or drawing a foul.

80%

%

Chuki

10 times under pressure

50'

Wasted opportunity

Bremen come forward at pace with Füllkrug. He looks for Grüll to his left in the box, but the pass has a little too much power on it, forcing Grüll too far away from goal, and when his cross eventually comes in, it is easy for Schwäbe to gather.

49'

Deman with a good strike

Deman battles his way down the left and fires in a powerful low shot from the angle that Schwäbe saves.

46'

Back underway

The ball is moving in Cologne once again.

Kick-off!

Half-time: Cologne 1-0 Bremen

The hosts go into the break with a deserved lead thanks to Maina's strike that came just minutes after Dallinga had missed a penalty. Bremen have had a decent amount of the ball, but are yet to create a great deal. Still everything to play for after the break, though.

© IMAGO/BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Buriakov

Half-time

45'

+ 1

Charged down

Not for the first time today, a corner lands at the feet of Chuki, and once again his shot is blocked.

45'

+ 1

Added time

There will be two extra minutes before the interval.

43'

Friedl heads wide

The Bremen centre-back gets up highest to meet a corner, but he can only direct his header wide of the far post from a central position.

37'

Poor strike

Pieper lines up a shot from range, but his tame effort hits Mensah, who was standing a few yards outside the width of the goal.

34'

Plenty of shots

We've seen lots of efforts in the opening 34 minutes, but just the one goal so far. It would be surprising if things finished this way.

Goal attempts

4off target

3on target

2off target

1on target

28'

Nearly

A long switch into the box finds Bülter, who nods the ball down in the area, but he can't find a teammate.

0:26

Good effort from Moore

Castro-Montes does well to hold on to the ball and find Moore. He spins and bursts towards the edge of the box before driving an effort towards goal that doesn't miss by much.

23'

Deserving leaders

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).

Since that very early chance for Füllkrug, Cologne have been on top and are rightfully ahead.

xGoals

1

1.17

0.5

0

Goals

19'

Good chances

A Bremen corner is cleared only as far as Chuki. He strikes the ball cleanly, but his effort is blocked. Then, a few moments later, a cross from the left is cushioned down for Dinkçi by Grüll, although he doesn't strike it cleanly and the ball rolls narrowly wide.

14'

Could have been Moore

Cologne's corner is cleared as far as Moore, but his effort is rather sliced back into the danger and after a flick on, Bremen clear.

13'

Krauß denied

Another loose pass out from the back gives Cologne the chance to attack high up the pitch once again. Krauß gets into the box and shoots from an angle, forcing Hein to make the stop.

0:21

And now they do lead!

A loose pass from Pieper is snuffed out in midfield by Krauß. He sends a pass over to Skhiri, who feeds Maina on the right, and the Cologne forward fires across the goalkeeper into the far corner. Cologne lead.

11'

Linton Maina

GOAL!

1:0

Assist:E. Skhiri

Linton Maina

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.

6 %

Shot speed

Shot speed

Shot speed describes the maximum speed in km/h that a ball reaches in a shot on goal. The distance is measured from the location of the shot to the centre of the goal.

100.77 km/h

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.

16.93 m

Saved!!!

Dallinga steps up to the spot and goes low to the goalkeeper's right, but Hein reads it and gets down brilliantly to make the stop. A few moments later, the ball drops to Skhiri in the box, although his effort is well blocked.

© IMAGO/Jordi Mergen

8'

Penalty missed!

Taker:

6'

Penalty to the hosts

Dallinga tries his luck from inside the box, and his effort strikes Regeer's hand. The referee points to the spot.

5'

Lovely dribbling

Moore picks up the ball and gets running at the Bremen defence, beating a couple of players before being crowded out.

4'

First chance

Arthur finds himself in acres of space on the right, and he spots Füllkrug making a run through the middle. He sends in a great cross that Füllkrug meets with his head, but he can only steer his effort at Schwäbe whilst under pressure.

1'

We're underway

The ball is moving in Cologne.

Kick-off!

Just moments from kick-off

The players are on the pitch, and we'll be underway in a matter of moments.

Players in the tunnel

Just five minutes now until we get underway.

Hennes makes an appearance

The famous Cologne mascot makes his way out onto the pitch, much to the joy of the home fans.

0:11

Watch: The Bremen keepers head out to warm up

Summer signings galore

A total of 11 summer signings are set to start tonight's game. Five of them play for Cologne, and six for Bremen.

Two Cologne starting XI debutants

Both Moore and Dallinga will be making their first Bundesliga starts this evening, and as such, their kits will feature special debut patches.

© IMAGO/BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Buriakov

Cologne team news

For Cologne, meanwhile, there are four changes as Bülter, Skhiri, Moore (pictured) and Dallinga all come into the side in place of Thielmann, Jóhannesson, Okon-Engstler and Ache. El Mala is back on the bench after missing out last weekend against Stuttgart due to illness.

© IMAGO/DeFodi.de

Bremen team news

For the first time under Thioune, Bremen are unchanged as Bremen's head coach opts for the same starting XI that beat RB Leipzig last time out. On the bench, Weiser returns to the team and could make his first appearance in 14 months, having suffered an ACL injury.

© IMAGO/DeFodi.de

Starting line-up: 1. FC Köln

Formation:4-5-1

Cologne subs

Zieler, Schmied, Sebulonsen, Sosa, El Mala, Jóhannesson, Okon-Engstler, Thielmann, Ache

Starting line-up: SV Werder Bremen

Formation:4-2-3-1

Bremen subs

Schlager, Schmetgens, Stark, Wójcik, Stalmach, Weiser, Erevbenagie, Itten, Musah

0:06

Watch: A look inside the Bremen dressing room

0:10

Watch: The venue for today's late kick-off

René Wagner on facing Bremen

"Bremen work incredibly hard without the ball. They're capable of defending deep but can hurt you on the counter-attack too. They'll come here with the wind in their sails, but our goal is to get the three points in front of our own supporters."

© IMAGO/BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Buriakov

Daniel Thioune on facing Cologne

"Maybe we'll let Cologne have the ball at first, but then we'll attack the open spaces with maximum aggression.”

© IMAGO/Eibner-Pressefoto/Marcel von Fehrn

Weiser to make his return?

Mitchell Weiser could be set to return to matchday action for the first time in 14 months after overcoming an ACL injury. “I’m not ruling it out,” commented Thioune during his press conference. “Tomorrow we’ll speak with everyone involved and then decide if he’ll be picked for the squad.”

© IMAGO/nordphoto GmbH / Christian Schulze

Favourite opponents

Cologne's record of 30 wins, 110 goals scored and 22 clean sheets at home to Werder is their best against any opponent in the Bundesliga.

© IMAGO/Celina Leiers

Away-day blues

Bremen won just three times on the road last season, compared to nine the previous campaign. They went down 4-1 in Freiburg on the opening weekend.

© IMAGO/Grant Hubbs

2:03

Watch: Cologne 3-1 Werder Bremen - previous meeting

Goals from Saïd El Mala and Rangar Ache sent the Billy Goats on their way to securing a first victory under René Wagner in a relegation six-pointer with Bremen on Matchday 29 of the 2025/26.

0:56

Watch: VfB Stuttgart 4-1 Cologne - last time out

The Billy Goats suffered their first defeat of the season in Stuttgart.

2:03

Watch: Werder Bremen 3-1 RB Leipzig - last time out

Niclas Füllkrug marked his return to the Weserstadion with a goal as Bremen dispatched RB Leipzig to secure their first win of the campaign.

Hello and welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 3 fixture between Cologne and Werder Bremen.