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Koln will welcome Stuttgart to the RheinEnergieStadion in the Bundesliga on Sunday. Both teams have won two of their four league games this season, and the fourth-placed hosts have a one-point lead.
The Billy Goats suffered their first loss of the season last week as they fell to a 3-1 away loss to RB Leipzig. Jan Thielmann equalized in the 23rd minute, but Leipzig scored in quick succession before the half-time break to take the decisive lead.
The visitors met St. Pauli in their previous league outing and recorded a 2-0 home win. Angelo Stiller missed from the penalty spot in the 24th minute, but goals from Ermedin Demirović and Bilal El Khannouss in the first and second half, respectively, helped them register a comfortable win.
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They continued their winning run in their UEFA Europa League campaign opener on Thursday, with a 2-1 home triumph over Celta Vigo. Badredine Bouanani opened the scoring in the 51st minute. Interestingly, goalkeeper Alexander Nübel picked up the assist for this goal. Bilal doubled their lead in the 68th minute.
Koln vs Stuttgart Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have squared off 106 times in all competitions. They have contested these meetings closely, with the hosts having a narrow 41-38 lead in wins and 27 games ending in draws.
- Their previous outing in the 2023-24 league campaign ended in a 1-1 draw.
- Koln have won their only home games this season, recording a 4-1 triumph over Freiburg last month.
- Stuttgart have lost their two away games on their travels in the Bundesliga, scoring one goal apiece in both.
- The hosts are winless in their last five meetings against Die Roten, failing to score in three.
- Seven of the last nine meetings between them have produced under 2.5 goals.
Koln vs Stuttgart Prediction
Die Geißböcke are winless in their last two league games, conceding three goals apiece in both, and will look to improve upon that record. Interestingly, they have lost four of their last six home games against the visitors, which is a cause for concern.
Luca Kilian and Rav van den Berg will miss this match due to injuries, while Marius Bülter is a doubt after being injured last week.
Die Roten have seen conclusive results in four games in all competitions, recording three wins. They have suffered just one loss on their travels in this fixture since 2001, and are strong favorites.
Finn Jeltsch was injured against Celta and will miss this match. Deniz Undav will return after the international break. Fabian Bredlow is back in training but not yet an option here. Justin Diehl is a major doubt.
Considering the visitors' uptick in form and impressive recent record in this fixture, we back them to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Koln 1-2 Stuttgart
Koln vs Stuttgart Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Stuttgart to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: Both teams to score - Yes
Tip 4: At least one goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
