Schalke: Jhon Cordoba and 5 key players to watch on Köln

COLOGNE, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 16: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) Jonas Hector of 1. FC Koeln controls the ball during the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Koeln and FC Bayern Muenchen at RheinEnergieStadion on February 16, 2020 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Ralf Treese/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
COLOGNE, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 16: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) Jonas Hector of 1. FC Koeln controls the ball during the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Koeln and FC Bayern Muenchen at RheinEnergieStadion on February 16, 2020 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Ralf Treese/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
2 of 3
Cologne’s Colombian forward Jhon Cordoba and Bayern Munich’s French defender Benjamin Pavard vie for the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match 1 FC Cologne v FC Bayern Munich in Cologne, western Germany on February 16, 2020. (Photo by INA FASSBENDER / AFP) / RESTRICTIONS: DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images)
Cologne’s Colombian forward Jhon Cordoba and Bayern Munich’s French defender Benjamin Pavard vie for the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match 1 FC Cologne v FC Bayern Munich in Cologne, western Germany on February 16, 2020. (Photo by INA FASSBENDER / AFP) / RESTRICTIONS: DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images)

ST Jhon Cordoba

Undoubtedly FC Köln’s star player, Jhon Cordoba has been with the team since 2017 and has scored 29 goals in 68 career appearances with the Billy Goats.

Cordoba is coming off a brace with an assist against Hertha, as the opponents in Germany’s capital simply had zero answers for the Colombian. The 26-year-old is Köln’s leading scorer with nine goals and has recorded two key passes in three of his last four games to show an increased creative output.

Schalke have excellent center backs, but even Ozan Kabak and Matija Nastasic will have their hands full against a danger man like Cordoba.

LM Florian Kainz

Set to line up on the left side of midfield for Köln, Florian Kainz is in good form with four assists in his last five Bundesliga appearances. Kainz, like Cordoba, had a brace with an assist in the demolition of Hertha last week, and he is the main creative influence for his club with at least three key passes in six BuLi games thus far.

Jonjoe Kenny should be able to record a bounce-back game against Kainz, but he’ll have to be positionally disciplined against an attacking player who only needs one pass to Jhon Cordoba to break the opposition’s hearts.