FC Cologne vs Hoffenheim – News and Probable Lineups

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                <div class="sm-article-body" itemprop="articleBody"><p>Following Hoffenheim's recovery from their recent defeat, a victory over FC Koln at RheinEnergieSTADION this Saturday in the Bundesliga would greatly enhance their aspirations for Champions League qualification.</p><p>Despite currently sitting in 12th place with 23 points, Koln's recent performance has been disappointing, whereas third-placed Hoffenheim scored a 3-0 victory against Freiburg on February 14, advancing to 45 points.</p><h2>Match overview</h2><p>The home side suffered a 3-1 loss to Stuttgart on Valentine’s Day, failing to secure any points even after leveling the score with just 11 minutes remaining.</p><div class="akcelo-wrapper akcelo-adunit-12489">
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Koln has faced three defeats in their last four Bundesliga matches – their record shows eight losses, three draws, and two wins out of the last 13 games – currently sitting just four points above Werder Bremen in 16th, who hold the relegation playoff position.

Although the Billy Goats have found the net in each of their last seven fixtures, the match against Stuttgart marked the fifth occasion in which they conceded two or more goals during that span.

Lukas Kwasniok’s team was outperformed by RB Leipzig at home on February 8; however, prior to that defeat, they experienced two home wins at RheinEnergieSTADION.

Worries persist among supporters as the club has managed only one or fewer goals in eight out of their 12 home games, maintaining just one clean sheet at their ground.

Hoffenheim suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat against Bayern Munich on February 8 but managed to rebound against Freiburg, recording three goals for the 10th time in 17 matches.

Under head coach Christian Ilzer, the side has not finished above sixth place since the 2018-19 season, and since their promotion to the top tier in 2007-08, their highest finish has been third place just once.

The visitors are eager for payback after losing 1-0 to Koln in October 2025, and a win this weekend would mark their third victory in seven encounters against them.

A success for the away team would be their sixth win in seven matches, as they aim to increase their lead over fifth-placed RB Leipzig to eight points.

Hoffenheim’s away form has been less impressive, having failed to win four of their last six away matches; however, they were only defeated twice in that stretch and have claimed victory in two of their last four away games.

Team News

Koln could utilize a three-man defense featuring Joel Schmied, Eric Martel, and Cenk Ozkacar as center-backs Timo Hubers and Luca Kilian are both nursing serious knee injuries.

With attacker Linton Maina sidelined due to a broken rib, fans can expect Jan Thielmann and Jakub Kaminski to support Ragnar Ache in the attack.

For Hoffenheim, talismanic forward Andrej Kramaric is anticipated to play a crucial role once again as he’s expected to start behind Fisnik Asllani and Bazoumana Toure.

Given Koki Machida’s absence due to a knee injury, Ilzer is likely to rely on Robin Hranac and Ozan Kabak this Saturday.

Midfielders Grischa Promel, Leon Avdullahu, and Wouter Burger were chosen for the starting lineup against Freiburg and are highly likely to keep their spots in the XI.

FC Koln probable starting XI:

Swabian; Blacksmith, Martel, Ozkacar; Sebulonsen, Johannesson, Krauss, Lund; Thielmann, Ache, Kaminski

Hoffenheim probable starting XI:

Baumann; Coufal, Hranac, Kabak, Hajdari; Promel, Avdullahu, Burger; Kramaric; Asllani, Toure

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