Cologne, who have not won in five games, have now slipped to the bottom of the table. After 25 match days, they have only 24 points, the same as Mainz 05 and St. Pauli, who are in 15th place and in the relegation zone. Behind them are VfL Wolfsburg (20) and 1. FC Heidenheim (14), who are already out of contention.
Without El Mala, the situation for the Billy Goats would undoubtedly be even more precarious. With eight goals, the teenager is Cologne's top scorer, even though he often only comes off the bench under coach Lukas Kwasniok – much to the incomprehension of many fans, but understood by Julian Nagelsmann. He also has four assists to his name. The national coach even rewarded him with a call-up for the international matches in November. However, he did not make his debut and returned to the U21 squad after the first game.