Borussia Dortmund continue their Bundesliga campaign with a trip to North Rhine-Westphalia on Saturday as they face FC Koln at the RheinEnergieStadion.
Coming off a difficult February wherein the side witnessed their Champions League run end and their slim league title hopes also squished, the BVB will now just be hoping for a strong finish to the campaign.
Securing a top-four finish to qualify for next season's premier European club tournament is the only remaining objective now for Niko Kovac's men. With 52 points from 24 games, the Black and Yellows are in second place of the Bundesliga table right now.
Meanwhile, Koln sit dangerously close to relegation in 13th with only 24 points from as many games, just two points more than 16th-placed Werder Bremen and four clear of 17th side Wolfsburg.
Since beating the Wolves on 31 January, the Billy Goats have failed to win any of their next four top-flight matches in a row, losing thrice to edge ever closer to the relegation zone.
They won't be too excited at the prospect of facing Dortmund considering their record in the fixture lately, as Koln have lost their last four consecutive meetings with side, while failing to score in their most recent three.
Team News for Dortmund
The BVB will be buoyed by the return of assist king Julian Ryerson, who missed the Der Klassiker against Bayern Munich due to a suspension.
The Norwegian right-back has managed 14 assists from 32 appearances, including 11 in the Bundesliga from 21 games. Only Bayern stars Michael Olise (18) and Luis Diaz (13) have registered more in the top-flight this season.
His availability will fuel their attacking vanguard as Dortmund aim to return to winning ways after three unfavorable results on the bounce.
Emre Can has been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign after suffering an ACL injury last week while Niklas Sule and Filippo Mane are doubts too with hamstring and muscle injuries respectively. Carney Chukwuemeka is also nursing muscular issues and remains a doubt for tomorrow.
After coming off the bench in their last game, Serhou Guirassy could return to the starting lineup here hoping to return to scoring ways after drawing a blank in their last three outings across all competitions.
Predicted Dortmund starting XI: Gregor Kobel; Waldemar Anton, Nico Schlotterbeck, Ramy Bensebaini; Julian Ryerson, Jobe Bellingham, Felix Nmecha, Daniel Svensson; Maximilian Beier, Julian Brandt; Serhou Guirassy.