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In Bundesliga action this weekend, Stuttgart will host Koln at the Mercedes Benz Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Stuttgart have struggled for form of late but picked up a valuable point against Bayern Munich last weekend. Goals from Tiago Tomas and Sasa Kalajdzic were enough to earn Pellegrino Matarazzo's men a 2-2 draw against the champions.
Stuttgart have picked up 30 points from 33 games this season and sit 16th in the league standings. They are almost assured of safety but have to rely on results elsewhere to guarantee it outright.
Meanwhile, Koln's pursuit of UEFA Europa League football took a hit last weekend, as they were beaten 1-0 by Wolfsburg. The Billy Goats were by far the more adventurous side offensively but could not beat an inspired Pavao Pervan in the opposition goal.
Koln are seventh in the league standings with 52 points from 33 games. They have qualified for the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers and could achieve UEFA Europa League football if results go their way.
Stuttgart vs Koln Head-to-Head
There have been 28 meetings between Stuttgart and Koln. The hosts have won eight of those games, while Koln have won ten. There have been ten draws between the two teams.
The two sides last faced off in a league clash in December last year, which Koln won 1-0.
Stuttgart Form Guide (all competitions): D-D-L-D-L.
Koln Form Guide (all competitions): L-W-W-W-W.
Stuttgart vs Koln Team News
Stuttgart
The home side have a lengthy list of injured personnel. That includes Naouirou Ahamada, Pascal Stenzel, Mohamed Sankoh, Nikolas Nartey, Silas Mvumpa and Clinton Mola. Roberto Massimo is dealing with a back injury and could miss out as well.
Injured: Naouirou Ahamada, Pascal Stenzel, Mohamed Sankoh, Nikolas Nartey, Silas Mvumpa, Clinton Mola.
Doubtful: Roberto Massimo.
Suspended: None.
Unavailable: None.
Koln
The Billy Goats have nearly a fully fit squad, with Sebastian Andersson being the only doubt for the game after a recent bout with COVID-19.
Injured: None.
Doubtful: Sebastian Andersson.
Suspended: None.
Unavailable: None.
Stuttgart vs Koln Predicted XIs
Stuttgart (3-4-3): Florian Muller; Konstantinos Mavropanos, Waldemar Anton, Hiroki Ito; Chris Fuhrich, Wataru Endo, Atakan Karazor, Borna Sosa; Tiago Tomas, Sasa Kalajdzic, Omar Marmoush.
Koln (4-2-3-1): Marvin Schwabe; Benno Schmitz, Luca Kilian, Timo Hubers, Jonas Hector; Ellyes Skhiri, Salih Ozcan; Dejan Ljubicic, Mark Uth, Florian Kainz; Anthony Modeste.
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Stuttgart vs Koln Prediction
Both teams are fighting for something ahead of their weekend clash. The hosts, who are on a six-game winless run, need a win on Saturday to secure outright safety, although they need Hertha Berlin to lose, for that to happen.
Koln, meanwhile, will miss out on UEFA Champions League football after their loss last time out but can still qualify for the UEFA Europa League. They have won four of their last five games and should win again.
Prediction: Stuttgart 1-2 Koln.
