13 October 2021, 14:37 | 28 August 2021, 15:29
The German Bundesliga fixture between TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and FC Köln kicks off at 19:30 (GMT+1) on Friday, October 15 at the PreZero Arena.
Preview TSG Hoffenheim Bundesliga, Oct 15, 2021
Preview Hoffenheim lost to VfB Stuttgart, 3-1, at the Mercedes-Benz Arena right before the international break. Taking you back to images from Matchday 7. Marc-Oliver Kempf (18') put Stuttgart in front a minute after Bebou struck the crossbar at the other end. At 1-0, both sides left 24,000 fans behind as they walked off the pitch for the break, with the home side in the lead. A remarkable solo run from Mavropanos (60') after stealing the ball ended with a fine finish which doubled Stuttgart's lead on the hour. With minutes left on the clock, Roberto Massimo (81') bagged his first-ever goal for Stuttgart to establish a comfortable 3-0 lead for the home side. But Hoffenheim would leave the Mercedes-Benz Arena with a consolation goal after a fine long-range strike from Bruun Larsen (84') found its way into goal. After three defeats in five games, LLDWL, Hoffenheim is in 11th place, having picked up 8 points from 2W, 2D, & 3L. With 12 goals in seven games, the club has a goal ratio of 1.71 goals scored per game. Hoffenheim have conceded 11 goals (1.57 goals conceded per game) and have a goal difference of +1. On Friday, Sebastian Hoeneß will look to make up for lost points when he lines up the 4—2—3—1 formation with Bebou in attack. Andrej Kramaric is expected right behind the 27-year-old. Kramaric tops the assists list with four to his name and will be on the hunt for the fifth when Matchday 8 arrives. Sebastian Hoeneß could be without Nordtveit, who remains in doubt for this fixture with a thigh injury. Meanwhile, Bicakcic (knee injury) and Hübner (back injury) are both ruled out of this fixture.
Preview 1. FC Köln Bundesliga, Oct 15, 2021
Preview FC Köln is in 6th place after picking up a 3-1 win over Greuther Fürth in front of 40,000 spectators at the RheinEnergieStadion. Marco Meyerhofer (7') had the visitors in front in the opening minutes, but five minutes after the break, Sebastian Andersson (50') restored parity with his maiden goal of the season. Ellyes Skhiri (55') gave Köln the lead before putting the game to bed with the brace in the 89th minute. Unbeaten in five games: WDDDW, the Billy Goats have 12 points from 3W, 3D, & 1L. With almost twice as many goals as appearances (13G, 7A), Köln boasts an average of 1.86 goals scored per game. However, Die Geißböcke have conceded 9 goals (1.29 goals-per-match.) and have a G.D. of +4. Steffen Baumgart is tipped to adopt the 4—1—3—2 formation with Anthony Modeste and Sebastian Andersson in attack on Friday. A hip injury could keep Jannes Horn out of this fixture.