: 
Cologne5.
3:35 p.m
The conditions on the Schlossberg are anything but optimal. The increasing precipitation makes the ground slippery. The lawn heating ensures that no icy film forms yet.
: 
Mainz4.
3:35 p.m
Now the guests also get a few shares of the game and can be seen in the opponent’s half. For Mainz, however, the path into the penalty area is still blocked.
: Mainz3.
3:34 p.m
The home team gets into the box for the first time via a cross to the left of the baseline. Danilho Doekhi gets a header there, but is unable to place it in a controlled manner.
: 
Hamburg4.
3:33 p.m
Yellow card for Daniel Elfadli (Hamburger SV)
Elfadli falls on Suzuki in a duel and then doesn’t let him go. This is a bit too much for the referee and he pulls out the first card of the day very early.
: Mainz2.
3:33 p.m
Union is trying to establish initial accents. Things are still going very bumpy. Nevertheless, the Iron Men feel their way forward to the penalty area and are looking for a way in.
: Cologne2.
3:33 p.m
… the billy goats clear the due premiere corner at the first attempt.
: Cologne1.
3:32 p.m
After a few moments, the FCH becomes dangerous for the first time. A sharp cross from Traoré from the right wing ends up in a detour at Schöppner, who shoots with his right from 17 meters on the right. The shot, touched by a defender, lands in the right corner of the goal…
: Hamburg4.
3:32 p.m
Hamburg starts off cautiously and leaves the ball to the hosts for the most part in the first few minutes. But the SC is not yet at the highest pace and so the game gets off to a slow start.
: Hamburg1.
3:31 p.m
With wintry temperatures but no snow, the ball rolls in Breisgau!
: Cologne1.
3:31 p.m
Heidenheim against Cologne – let’s go in the Voith Arena!
: Mainz1.
3:30 p.m
Referee Bastian Dankert has just given the go-ahead to the game on green grass at a very frosty six degrees below zero. However, the playing area has clearly suffered in the past few days.
: Cologne1.
3:30 p.m
Game start
: Mainz1.
3:30 p.m
Game start
: Hamburg1.
3:30 p.m
Game start
: Cologne15:27
The teams take to the pitch in temperatures just above freezing and with quite heavy sleet.
: Mainz15:23
The last time the two clubs met was almost a year ago. Here at this point Union won 2-1. During the first half of the season there was a 1-1 draw in Mainz. The Köpenick team recently celebrated five wins in a row at the Alte Försterei. The last time the Zero Fives took anything was in May 2020 (1:1). Rheinhessen’s only away win to date against Union came in August 2002 in the 2nd league (0-2).
: Hamburg15:22
The two clubs have not met in the Bundesliga in recent years, so the last duel in the German upper house was almost eight years ago. Since then, however, there have been two encounters in the DFB Cup, each of which SC won. When looking at the entire record against each other, HSV is just ahead with 16:10 wins.
: Mainz3:15 p.m
At the end of last year, Union achieved two wins against Leipzig (3:1) and in Cologne (1:0). They had previously suffered three defeats in a row – two of them at home. So they were left behind in the DFB Cup against FC Bayern Munich (2:3) and in the Bundesliga against Heidenheim (1:2).
: Cologne3:08 p.m
For the Rhinelanders, who have been waiting for a goal for almost 220 minutes, coach Łukasz Kwaśniok has also made four personnel changes compared to the 0-1 home defeat against FC Union Berlin. Instead of Heintz (muscular problems), Lund, Jóhannesson (both on the bench) and van den Berg (red card suspension), new signings Simpson-Pusey (Manchester City FC, loan), Huseinbašić, Castro-Montes and Schenten start.
: Mainz3:06 p.m
With the basement children St. Pauli and Heidenheim, Mainz share the status of the weakest attack in the league (13 goals this season). In addition, FSV is the worst home team, but leaves three teams behind in the away table. The only win of the season in the Bundesliga came abroad – in September in Augsburg (4:1). After that, however, they lost four guest games in a row – most recently in Freiburg at the end of November (0:4) – before the 2-2 draw in Munich followed in mid-December.
: Cologne3:00 p.m
On the East Württemberger side, who promoted FC directly to the 2nd Bundesliga with the 4-1 home win in the last comparison in May 2024 and who have so far signed a player in the winter transfer window with Hennes Behrens (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, loan), coach Frank Schmidt made four changes after the 4-0 home defeat against FC Bayern Munich. Siersleben, Niehues, Ibrahimović and Conteh push Busch, Gimber, Kerber and Honsak onto the bench.
: Mainz14:57
When we look at the current table, we see that the eighth place hosts the bottom team. The two clubs parted ways by an impressive 13 points. While the Iron Men occupy a secure midfield position, the Zero Fives are four points short of the relegation spot and six points away from a completely safe place.
: Hamburg14:57
HSV’s final spurt was more changeable, as in December the promoted team only managed one win in four competitive games (3:2 in the northern derby against Bremen). Nevertheless, Hamburg has gained a small cushion over the relegation place with four points, which the Rothosen want to at least maintain. However, three players, Philippe, Baldé and Suhonen, are out due to illness. But HSV fans can look forward to the starting eleven debut of Downs, who is on loan, and Jatta is also on the field from the start.
: Cologne2:50 p.m
1. FC Köln went into the winter break with a bad feeling, having been waiting for a three-pointer for six Bundesliga games. The billy goats had given a strong impression in the first few months of the season and often brought the level of a team from the solid middle of the table onto the pitch, but if their weak form continued they threatened to have to fight against relegation for a long time. An end to the dry spell for a team from the bottom of the table would be an enormously important liberation for FC.
: Mainz2:48 p.m
In addition to Tietz, the Rheinhessen team also signed Silas from VfB Stuttgart in the past few days. However, he is not yet in the matchday squad today. The host has only had one temporary departure to report in the current transfer period. Oluwaseun Ogbemudia was loaned to Waldhof Mannheim until the end of the season after a contract extension.
: Hamburg2:46 p.m
SC Freiburg is on target both nationally and internationally, because with fifth place, the Breisgauers have a good chance of making it to the knockout round in the Europa League. The current hosts also stabilized in the Bundesliga before the turn of the year and went into the break with three competitive games without defeat. Freiburg is also in the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup. Top scorer Grifo (five goals) and top scorer Manzambi (seven scorers) are in the SC starting eleven from the start and defensively the central defender duo Ginter & Lienhart set the tone.
: Cologne14:41
1. FC Heidenheim 1846 spent Christmas and New Year in second-to-last place in the table, but by no means in a hopeless situation. After the Blue-Red-Whites had only won one of the first eleven Bundesliga games, they were able to score six out of twelve points during Advent thanks to last-minute successes at 1. FC Union Berlin and against SC Freiburg (both 2-1) and thus maintain sight of the saving bank. Heidenheim, which was not competitive for a long time, can hope for a fourth Bundesliga season again.
: Hamburg2:40 p.m
For both teams it will be a matter of quickly finding their own rhythm again after a three-week break. Before this game, only four points separate Freiburg and Hamburg, as SC is in ninth place and the Rothosen are in 13th place.
: Mainz2:39 p.m
Compared to the 1-0 win in the last Bundesliga game before Christmas in Cologne, Steffen Baumgart made three changes. Instead of Christopher Trimmel, Woo-yeong Jeong and Ilyas Ansah (all bench), Janik Haberer (back from yellow card suspension), Livan Burcu and Andrej Ilić are in the Iron Men’s starting eleven. On the guests side there are also three changes after the 0-0 draw at home against St. Pauli almost three weeks ago. Andreas Hanche-Olsen (muscular problems), Kacper Potulski and Paul Nebel (both bench) are not in the Mainz starting lineup. To this end, former and long-time Union coach Urs Fischer has now ordered Stefan Bell, Nikolas Veratschnig and Phillip Tietz onto the pitch from the start.
: Hamburg2:33 p.m
Welcome back from winter break! At 3:30 p.m. SC Freiburg welcomes Hamburger SV to the Europa-Park Stadium for the 16th matchday of the Bundesliga!
: Cologne2:30 p.m
Hello and welcome to the first Bundesliga Saturday in the calendar year 2026! 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 welcomes 1. FC Köln on matchday 16. The duel between East Württemberg and Rhinelanders is scheduled to kick off at 3:30 p.m. on the Schlossberg.
: Mainz14:26
Welcome to the football year 2026! The Bundesliga didn’t take a long break. And wherever the winter weather permits, the ball rolls – for example at the Alte Försterei. 1. FC Union Berlin hosts 1. FSV Mainz 05 there. Kick-off is scheduled to take place at 3:30 p.m.