Stuttgart and Köln meet at Mercedes ‑ Benz ‑ Arena, in a match for the 5th round of the Bundesliga. The history of recent head-to-head matches is favorable to the home team, which registers 2 wins and 1 draw in the last 3 matches. The last head-to-head meeting between these two teams, on 04‑03‑2018, ended with the victory of Stuttgart by (2‑3). In this match, the home factor may be decisive, as Köln presents considerable differences in their results at home and as a visitor.
Stuttgart :
After 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss, the home team is currently in 5th position, with 7 points won. In their last match, they beat Hertha BSC away by (0‑2), after having drawn (1‑1) at home in the previous match, against Bayer Leverkusen. This is a team that presents similar results at home and away, so it is not usually affected by the home factor, since in the last 30 games it has recorded 8 wins, 1 draw and 6 losses as a visitor; against 10 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses in his stadium. In their last 10 home matches, Stuttgart has 6 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses. Their defense has not been very solid, since they have suffered goals in 3 of the last 4 matches, but their offense has scored regularly, since they have scored at least one goal in each of the last 4 matches for this competition. There is a tendency to have goals in their home matches, since 18 of the last 19 matches they have played have ended with Over 1.5 goals.
Stuttgart comes to this game motivated, after a 2-0 victory in the visit to Hertha: Kempf, in the first half, and Castro, in the second, scored both goals of the match. The home team usually plays in a tactical system at 5-2-3, favoring a more relaxed and organized style of play. In this tactical formation, the three men responsible for targeting the rival goal are Gonzalo Castro, Sasa Kalajdzic and Daniel Didavi. The coach will not be able to count on Roberto Massimo, Darko Churlinov, Philipp Forster, Erik Thommy, Clinton Mola, Borna Sosa, Maxime Awoudja and Konstantinos Mavropanos, delivered to the medical department.
Cologne :
The visiting team is currently in 16th position, with 1 point won, after 1 draw and 3 defeats. In the penultimate match, they lost at home to Borussia M’gladbach by (1‑3). In the last match, they tied at home against Eintracht Frankfurt by (1‑1). This is a stronger team with the support of its fans, since in the last 30 games it has registered 4 wins, 2 draws and 9 losses as a visitor, with 26 goals scored and 34 suffered; against 6 victories, 4 draws and 5 defeats in his stadium, with 31 goals scored and 23 suffered. In their last away match for this competition, they lost (1‑0) against Arminia Bielefeld. In their last 10 away matches, Köln has recorded 3 wins, 1 draw and 6 losses.
For this competition, they have not won any of the last 4 matches. The team has not been very strong defensively, since they have always suffered goals in the last 4 matches, but their attack has scored regularly, since they have scored goals in 3 of the last 4 matches for this competition.
Köln comes to this day after a 1×1 draw at home against Frankfurt. The visiting team must play in a tactical system at 4-3-3, with the aim of using the central zone to invest in the offensive process. The service forward is the Swede Sebastian Andersson, a player who stands out for his physical ability. The coach is expected to have two absences for this game: Florian Kainz and Jonas Hector, both of whom are still in the medical department.
