Hamburg SV vs FC Cologne – News and Probable Lineups

In a bid to separate themselves from the teams below in the Bundesliga relegation fight, FC Koln will travel to Volksparkstadion to face another promoted club, Hamburgo SV, this Saturday.

HSV is looking to build on their recent victory, while the Billy Goats aim for their first win in six matches this round.

Match overview

Hamburgo finished as runners-up to Koln in last season’s 2.Bundesliga, but they find themselves in a significantly better position in the top tier now.

Last Saturday, Merlin Polzin’s team rallied from behind to secure a 2-1 victory against Wolfsburg away from home, with Luka Vuskovic and Jean-Luc Dompe scoring penalties before and after halftime, making Christian Eriksen’s early penalty irrelevant.

This win elevated HSV to 10th in the standings, gathering 29 points, which positions them five points clear of the relegation zone with nine games remaining.

The home supporters will arrive at Volksparkstadion eager to see their side confirm their Bundesliga future with another win this weekend, although some fans may be concerned that the team has only secured one home victory in 2026, suffering two losses and two draws.

Moreover, Hamburgo has not managed a clean sheet in their last five matches, a stretch lasting over a month, and with only St Pauli and Heidenheim scoring fewer goals in the bottom half of the table, Polzin’s squad must ensure defensive solidity to achieve success.

In contrast, Koln experienced triumph in the 2024-25 2.Bundesliga season but have faced challenges recently, placing them at significant risk of relegation this year.

Lukas Kwasniok’s side recently lost 2-1 against Borussia Dortmund, and while the outcome was not shocking, it extended their winless streak to five matches, including four defeats.

This poor run has left the Billy Goats sitting 14th in the league with a total of 24 points, tying them with 15th-placed Mainz 05 and 16th-placed St Pauli in the relegation playoff spot.

Eager to distance themselves from relegation candidates on Saturday, the visitors should avoid focusing on their away record this season, where they’ve secured only two victories on the road and haven’t won away since early October.

A win this weekend could allow Koln to climb ahead of both Werder Bremen and Borussia Monchengladbach into 12th place, but with four losses in their last five away fixtures, even a draw would be viewed as a positive outcome.

Team News

Hamburgo will be without several forwards this weekend, including left wingers Albert Gronbaek and Alexander Rossing-Lelesiit, who are each recovering from thigh and ankle injuries, along with striker Yussuf Poulsen, who is dealing with a hamstring problem.

In their absence, Ransford Konigsdorffer is expected to start at center-forward, assisted by loanee Philip Otele and Jean-Luc Dompe on the wings.

Additionally, the versatile midfielder Nicolas Capaldo, who has frequently played in defense, is out with an abdominal issue, while right wing-back Bakery Jatta has a hamstring concern, so expect to see Warmed Omari, Luka Vuskovic, and Jordânia Torunarigha in the defense, supported by William Mikelbrencis and Miro Muheim.

On the side of Koln, they will miss center-backs Timo Hubers and Luca Kilian due to knee injuries, as well as Joel Schmied who has a muscle injury, and their defensive issues are worsened by a suspension for Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, who was sent off against Dortmund.

In seeking to fill these gaps this weekend, Kwasniok could position Rav van den Berg and Cenk Ozkacar in central defense, and with right wing-back Sebastian Sebulonsen unavailable due to a muscular injury, Tom Krauss and Kristoffer Lund might be deployed at full-back.

Furthermore, wingers Jan Thielmann and Alessio Castro-Montes will both likely be sidelined on Saturday with their own muscle injuries, while midfielder Denis Huseinbasic has a hip issue; however, Said El Mala, Jakub Kaminski, and Linton Maina are anticipated to start ahead of a double pivot comprising Isak Bergmann Johannesson and Eric Martel.

Hamburgo SV probable starting XI:

Fernandes; Omari, Vuskovic, Torunarigha; Mikelbrencis, Logan, Remberg, Muheim; Hotel, Konigsdorffer, Dompe

FC Koln probable starting XI:

Swabian; Krauss, Van den Berg, Ozkacar, Lund; Johannesson, Martel; Maina, Kaminski, El Mala; Oh

Hamburgo appears to be performing better than their opponents, though they are still not in great form, having claimed only one victory in their last four fixtures.

Koln’s urgency is mounting, and given HSV’s recent defensive vulnerabilities, they might just secure a point this weekend.