Double layer against the cathedral city club:
Union faces two matches against 1. FC Köln
Within a few days, the paths of Union and Köln will cross twice. First in the DFB Pokal, followed by a match in The Bundesliga. For the very first time in history, both teams will face each other on Tuesday, 27.10.2026, in a cup duel. The kick off at the RheinEnergieStadion will take place at 20:45.
The Situation
Win, win, loss, draw, loss, win, loss, draw – that is the current record of FC in the ongoing season. In search of consistency, the Kölner had to endure two matches without scoring: both in Frankfurt (1-0) and against FC Schalke 04 (0-0), the offense was unsuccessful.
The Eisernen, on the other hand, enter the match with significantly more momentum, as the team of head coach Mauro Lustrinelli secured five points in the last three games against SV Elversberg, BVB, and most recently in Augsburg.
The Kölner finished the previous season 2025/26 in fourteenth place, marking their first season back in the top flight. The most important player, at least in terms of attack, was Said El Mala with a total of 18 points. In the current season, the now twice-capped German international is still searching for his goal-scoring instincts, but with two of his own goals he only trails his teammate Ísak Jóhannesson (three goals and one assist) in the internal goalscorer list.
Other pillars in the game of the Domstädter are goalkeeper Marvin Schwäbe and central defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, who was permanently signed after his loan in 2025/26 last summer; both have not missed a single minute on the pitch so far.
On the side of FC are Marius Bülter, Cologne head coach René Wagner and assistant coach Kevin McKenna, familiar faces from Union's past, while at Union, Horst Heldt, managing director of professional football, is the one with a history at Cologne.
Head coach Mauro Lustrinelli and his coaching staff will have to do without Stanley Nsoki, Josip Juranović, and Andrej Ilić on Tuesday evening.
"Our focus is on ourselves and on consistently implementing our plan on the pitch. Köln has acted from different formations in recent matches, which is why we do not want to commit to a specific style of play. What matters is that we deliver our performance and carry out our game. In the end, it's about scoring one more goal than the opponent to progress to the next round," explained Union's head coach Mauro Lustrinelli regarding the Cup match.
FC head coach René Wagner expressed the following at the press conference: "What plays in our favor is that Union operates from a similar system as we do. Our main focus will be on using our chances efficiently and scoring the necessary goals. Especially in front of our home fans, we want to create the conditions to advance to the next round in the end."
For the away game at the Rhine, 2,400 Unioner will travel to Cologne. Information on visiting the stadium can be found on the Union homepage.
The match will be broadcast live by Sky. Additionally, there is an audio stream on rbb24 Inforadio and on rbb24, and as usual, Union will keep you updated on the match via the club's own live ticker.
