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1st FC Cologne vs. VfB Stuttgart
The last matchday of 2021 is just around the corner. After that, the Bundesliga, as well as the second German division, will go into a three-week winter break. During this time, however, the Premier League, which continues to play through, will keep us entertained. This means that there are still some interesting matches to be played at the end of the year next weekend. For example, Wolfsburg face Bayern, Hoffenheim Gladbach and Freiburg have another big challenge with Leverkusen. In addition, Steffen Baumgart’s Cologne team will welcome VfB Stuttgart. This is the encounter we want to talk about today. The FC has clearly improved under Baumgart and is comfortably in the middle of the table. However, despite their weak position in the table, Stuttgart should not be underestimated, as VfB have already won against Wolfsburg and Mainz. You can find out more here in our Cologne – Stuttgart tip.
Cologne have clearly improved after winning the relegation last year. A decisive factor for this is, of course, Steffen Baumgart. Under him, players such as Benno Schmitz and Anthony Modeste are achieving new best performances. At VfB, on the other hand, everything could have been so beautiful. However, major injury problems accompanied the Swabians throughout the entire first half of the season. With a full squad, Stuttgart could have done a lot better.
Cologne – Stuttgart Info
– Date & Time: 19.12.2021, at 17:30 hrs.
– Venue: RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne
– Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 17
– TV broadcast: DAZN
Cologne Form & Balance Check
The last games of the cathedral cities were rather semi-successful. Although they managed to pick up four points from the last three games, this should not be rated too highly. The opponents were, by no means meant disrespectfully, no great challenges. For example, Cologne only managed a meagre 1-1 draw against the relegated team when they visited Bielefeld. In addition, they showed a very weak performance against Augsburg in their own stadium and ultimately deserved to lose 0:2. FC did win their last match against Wolfsburg during the week, but only with two very late goals. Thus, it can be said that the Cathedral City team is on the upswing again at the moment after a clear drop in form.
New star in the sky
It is well known that FC has many strong offensive players in the squad. Anthony Modeste, Mark Uth and Flo Kainz are just a few of many attackers. However, there is another star in the sky lately. Kingsley Schindler, who was completely out of action at the beginning of the season, has recently been putting in a stellar performance. Especially in the duel against Wolfsburg, he made quite an impact in his 18 minutes of playing time. The 28-year-old was able to set up two goals in this short phase and thus help FC to victory. We can be curious to see how much playing time he gets against VfB.
Cologne facts & analysis
– Very much improved compared to last year.
– Modeste in top form
– Schindler very strong recently
– Team performance not very good lately
Stuttgart form & balance check
The Swabians’ current 15th place in the table is somewhat of a cloud, as they have been in really good form recently. VfB have won two of their last five games against Mainz and Wolfsburg and drawn against Hertha. In addition, there was a very narrow 2-1 defeat at BVB and the very unfortunate 5-0 defeat against Bayern. In the duel with Munich, however, the Mercedes boys also showed a very courageous and appealing performance. Therefore, the latest results do not really correspond to the current standings. However, it must also be said that VfB are only three points behind eleventh place. Thus, the encounter between FC and Stuttgart is sure to be very entertaining and exciting.
Where’s the offence?
With Kalajdzic, the number one striker for Stuttgart has been injured for a long time. This gap in the offensive is clear. Especially when you look at VfB’s list of goal scorers. For there, the two centre-backs Mavropanos and Kempf are in first and second place with four and three goals respectively. Even when the assists are added, the Greek defender is in first place. However, he has company there from Omar Marmoush. Thus, VfB urgently needs to become more goal-threatening in attack in order to climb further up the table.
Stuttgart facts & analysis
Stuttgart last won against Mainz and Wolfsburg.
– Received a beating from Bayern during the week
– Currently no attackers capable of scoring goals
– Mavropanos top scorer
Predicted line-up – last update on 17 December 2021
Steffen Baumgart will have to do some rebuilding at FC. Özcan will probably be absent for the match against VfB. Skhiri could replace him if he is fit in time. In addition, Kilian will return to the back four after his time out. In the offensive, either Mark Uth or Kingsley Schindler could push young Schaub out of the starting eleven.
For VfB Stuttgart, Endo will probably rotate to the six position for Karazor. This will move Förster back into midfield and Silas could make his starting debut in attack. In addition, Ito will continue to deputise for the stricken Sosa.
Cologne – Stuttgart direct comparison & statistics
Cologne and VfB meet for the 100th time in professional football at the end of the year. In these duels, the Geißböcke have managed to pick up 40 victories, while only 34 successes have been recorded by Stuttgart. Only against Schalke have the Cologne team won more often in professional football. However, Stuttgart have a remarkable streak at FC. When playing away in Cologne, the Swabians have gone eleven games without defeat. Most recently, there were even three away victories in a row.
– Meeting for the 100th time
– Cologne have only won more often against Schalke than against Stuttgart in professional football.
– VfB without defeat in last eleven guest games at FC
– Stuttgart have even won their last three away games in Cologne
