Köln vs. Hoffenheim preview: Second game in three days for the hosts
Köln will attempt to claim a third consecutive home victory in the Bundesliga when they play host to a Hoffenheim side who can move into the top six with a victory.
| Steffen Baumgart. |
Köln
Köln will have to cope with a short turnaround after facing Slovacko in the Europa League on Friday. The contest originally took place on Thursday, but within 10 minutes, the game was abandoned, and subsequently pushed back a day. Ondrej Duda managed to secure the win for Köln with an 82nd-minute spot-kick, and as a result, Die Geißböcke now have the chance to claim three consecutive victories.
After being thrashed 5-0 by Mainz last weekend, Köln will be looking to bounce back against Hoffenheim. In truth, their league form has been inconsistent, with their previous six Bundesliga games yielding two wins, one draw and three defeats. The hosts head into Sunday's contest in 11th place, but only three points separate them from the top six.
Köln have only lost one home league game this season, while their previous two home matches in the Bundesliga have ended in 3-2 victories, suggesting they usually perform well at the RheinEnergieStadion.
Team News
The hosts are without several players, including Julian Chabot, Jonas Hector, Tim Lemperle and Mathias Olesen. They are also unable to call upon Sebastian Andersson, Dimitrios Limnios and Dejan Ljubicic due to knee injuries. Meanwhile, Luca Kilian is suspended after being sent-off against Mainz.
Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim began the season with four wins in their opening six league games. However, in their last five Bundesliga matches, they have only managed to record one victory.
After losing 2-0 to Bayern Munich last weekend, Hoffenheim will look to return to winning ways on Sunday. They will take confidence from the fact that they have won each of their last eight games against Köln in the topflight.
André Breitenreiter's side have proven to be a tough team to beat on their travels in recent weeks. They have only lost one of their last four away league games, conceding only two goals in that period. After thrashing Schalke 3-0 in their previous away match, they will attempt to claim consecutive away victories for the first time this season.
With the visitors currently sat in ninth place, they could move to within a point of the top four with a win, while they will be leapfrogged by their opponents if they lose on Sunday.
Team News
Benjamin Hübner and Fisnik Asllani are ruled out with ankle injuries, while Ihlas Bebou, Mu'nas Dabbur and Luca Philipp are also sidelined.