The last meeting between Fortuna Düsseldorf and 1. FC Köln was years ago, on May 24, 2020, they met in the Bundesliga, the game ended 2:2. Now this weekend it is finally time again, the Rhineland derby is coming up.
For the police, the match in the Merkur Spiel-Arena is a high-risk game, so a large contingent of officers will be on standby in the state capital – before, during and after the game in the area of the arena and in the city.
“We are looking forward to what will surely be an exciting derby. All emergency services and I are placing particular emphasis on ensuring the safety of spectators,” said operations manager Thorsten Fleiß. We will intervene early and take consistent action against violent individuals.
The Düsseldorf police will be supported by numerous officers from other authorities. The emergency services will be present in the area of the arena, in the old town and in the neuralgic locations on match day.
Some preventive measures have already been implemented, such as bans on entering certain areas and addressing potential threats. The police expect traffic disruptions during arrival and departure.
The match on Saturday (kick-off is at 1 p.m.) is the 58th meeting between Fortuna and Cologne. Düsseldorf won 14 of these games, there were 16 draws and Cologne won 28.
The course of the season so far speaks in Fortuna’s favour. While Düsseldorf are at the top of the second division table with 13 points after five games, things have been rather bumpy for Cologne so far. After two wins, one draw and two defeats, FC are currently in eighth place in the table.
