Before a ball had been kicked this season, 1. FC Köln were considered to be relegation candidates after finishing tenth the past two seasons. But now they have Champions League qualifying rounds on their horizon. Köln are currently in eighth place, but with only a six point gap to third. With 25 points, 1. FC Köln are having the best season in their eight-year Bundesliga history, having already surpassed the 22 points from 2021/22. However, this season had a tough start for 'Effzeh', as Britta Carlsson's side began with three straight defeats. Since then, however, Köln have made an impressive recovery finding themselves in third from the  fourth matchday onward.

Their trump card is undoubtedly the defence. With 22 goals conceded, only the league leaders and reigning champions FC Bayern München (5) and SV Werder Bremen (21) have a better record at the back. However, the latter still have two games-in-hand against Wolfsburg and FC Bayern, so Köln can probably count on moving up to second in that list soon enough. The 20-year-old goalkeeper Irina Fuchs has kept a clean sheet in five matches already, second-best in the league behind Bayern's Ena Mahmutovic (8).

Nevertheless, Köln's miserliness at the back is also reflected in the paucity of their attack. They have only scored 22 goals, better only than the four teams at the bottom of the table. With a goal difference of 22:22, their games have the fewest goals scored in the league (2.44 per game). With this in mind, striker Sandra María Jessen has undoubtedly proven her worth, being directly involved in half of all their goals, with nine scored and two assists. The 31-year-old Icelander transferred to the cathedral city in the summer and has already been linked with a move to England in January due to her performances. Instead, she extended her contract at the Geißbockheim just a week ago.

The first competitive match between both teams in October was won by 1. FC Köln with 2-1. The Union's women took the lead early in the Franz-Kremer-Stadion with a goal from Sophie Weidauer, but Köln turned the game around before the end of the first half.

Köln's co-trainer Sven Gruel worked in the same position at 1. FC Union Berlin from July 2022 to November 2024, helping oversee promotion from the Regionalliga Nordost to the 2. Bundesliga as well as winning the Berlin-Pokal, both in the summer of 2024. After half a year as an assistant at 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam, Gruel has been working in Köln since the start of this season.

Union's coaching staff will have to forgo the services of Alma Aagaard, Anna Aehling, Nele Bauereisen, Jenny Hipp, Korina Janež, Mariann Noack, and Tomke Schneider on Saturday.

“Köln are  an aggressive and attacking team that have stabilised themselves significantly over the course of the season. We want to meet them intensively, as a collective to create our own dangerous situations,” said Union head coach, Ailien Poese, ahead of the floodlit match.

Tickets for the match are available for general sale at all Union Zeughaus stores as well as online. Parking permits for the spaces in front of the main stand can be purchased online and on site for the price of €8. The Stadion An der Alten Försterei will open its gates and the ticket office at 17:30.

There are still extensive traffic disruptions in public transport, and access via the tram lines “Altstadt Köpenick” is only possible with replacement bus services. Therefore, all visitors are advised to arrive early.

In addition, due to renovation work at the Köpenick S-Bahn station, Hämmerlingstraße is closed to motor vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians in both directions. However, the railway underpass at the corner of Am Bahndamm/Hämmerlingstraße is accessible to pedestrians on match days.