1. FC Köln vs FC Schalke 04 Prediction & Preview - Bundesliga
- FC Köln and FC Schalke 04 meet in the Bundesliga on Saturday 24 October 2026, kick-off 14:30 BST, with Köln at home in Cologne and both clubs coming off a defeat. Schalke have taken 10 points from their last six matches against Köln's 5, and the away side have been the better travellers of the two by a distance.
- Fixture: 1. FC Köln v FC Schalke 04
- Competition: Bundesliga
- Date: Saturday 24 October 2026
- Kick-off: 14:30 BST
- Match page: 1. FC Köln vs FC Schalke 04
1. FC Köln's form before the Schalke game
- FC Köln have won one, drawn two and lost three of their last six, scoring 7 and conceding 11. That is 5 points, and it comes with a defensive record that will worry René Wagner's side more than anything at the other end: no clean sheets in those six games, and both teams scoring in five of them.
The most recent one was a 0-1 defeat away to Eintracht Frankfurt, 8 days before this match. Five days earlier they had beaten Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-1 at home, which remains their only win in the sequence. The low point was further back, a 1-4 loss away to VfB Stuttgart 50 days before this fixture.
Home is where Köln have looked like a team: won 1 of 2 there, against 0 wins from 4 on the road.
How FC Schalke 04 have been playing
FC Schalke 04 arrive with 10 points from their last six, a record of three wins, one draw and two defeats, and goals of 10 scored and 6 conceded. Two clean sheets in that run, which is two more than Köln have managed.
The last two have gone against them, though. Schalke lost 0-1 at home to 1. FSV Mainz 05 just 7 days before this match, and 1-2 away to SC Freiburg 13 days before it.
What makes them awkward opposition on Saturday is the split in their results. Schalke have won 3 of their last 4 away matches, the pick of them a 3-1 win at 1. FC Union Berlin 43 days before this game. At home they have won 0 of 2, including a 0-0 with SV 07 Elversberg.
What to expect from 1. FC Köln vs FC Schalke 04
The meeting point is obvious enough: a Köln side that has not kept a clean sheet in six against a Schalke side whose good results have almost all come away from Gelsenkirchen. Köln have conceded two or more in three of their last six, and three or more goals have been scored in four of their six games. Schalke, for their part, failed to score in two of six, so this is not a team that punishes everyone.
Both squads are short of attacking options. 1. FC Köln are without Thijs Dallinga, who has a cruciate ligament injury, Ellyes Skhiri, whose ankle problem is expected to keep him out into next year, along with Ragnar Ache, Imad Rondić, Timo Hübers, Rav van den Berg and Joël Schmied, according to t-online. Schalke have ruled out Moussa Sylla indefinitely after he picked up a left leg injury in the Freiburg game, bulinews reported, and Dejan Ljubičić (knee) and Ron Schallenberg are also listed as out by t-online.
1. FC Köln vs FC Schalke 04 prediction
Our prediction is a 1-2 away win for FC Schalke 04 against 1. FC Köln in the Bundesliga on Saturday 24 October 2026. The road record decides it: three wins from Schalke's last four away matches, set against a Köln defence that has shipped 11 goals in six games and has not shut anyone out. Köln should score - both teams have found the net in five of their last six involving them - but one goal has not been enough for them lately.
Our prediction: 1. FC Köln 1-2 FC Schalke 04
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