Cologne vs. VfB Stuttgart: probable line-ups, match stats and LIVE blog!

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Modeste ended a four-game drought with a midweek brace as Cologne came from behind to beat Wolfsburg. The French veteran has now scored 10 times during the Hinrunde, accounting for 39 percent of his team's total goals. The Wolfsburg result followed a run of two matches without a win for the Billy Goats and was Cologne's first league victory away from home all season. Cologne could climb into a European place by collecting all three points for a second Matchday in a row, something that would round out an excellent first half of the season for Steffen Baumgart and his team. Salih Özcan is a doubt so there could be a reshuffle, with captain Jonas Hector moving into the base of midfield, Benno Schmitz moving to left-back and Kingsley Schindler coming in on the right of defence.

Stuttgart's three-match unbeaten run was emphatically ended at home to Bayern Munich last time out as the defending champions put five past VfB. Borna Sosa missed that loss - and the 2-0 win at Wolfsburg on Matchday 15 - through injury but is expected to be fit enough to return on the left, which would allow Hiroki Ito to drop back into Pellegrino Matarazzo's back-three. Another man on the comeback trail is Silas Katompa Mvumpa, who is inching towards a first start since injuring himself in another heavy defeat to Bayern in March. Matarazzo will be cautious over rushing Silas back too quickly though and the festive break will give the 23-year-old even more time to fully recover. That means Marmoush and Philipp Förster should continue in attack, with last season's top-scorer Sasa Kalajdzic another player targeting a Rückrunde return.

Match stats

Cologne are one of just three Bundesliga teams (alongside Mainz and Hoffenheim) yet to be awarded a penalty this season.

Only Robert Lewandowski (70) has had more shots on goal than Anthony Modeste (60) this season.

The Billy Goats have won a whopping 68 per cent of all their points on home turf this season (15 out of 22).

Konstantinos Mavropanos is the joint highest-scoring defender in the Bundesliga in 2021/22 with four goals, alongside Freiburg's Philip Lienhart.

Silas scored 11 goals in 25 Bundesliga outings last season before getting injured. He's made four substitute appearances this term since recovering.

Stuttgart are unbeaten in their last five Bundesliga meetings with Cologne, winning four and drawing one. The did, however, lose the last meeting - October's 2-0 defeat in the second round of the DFB Cup.

Probable line-ups

Cologne: Schwäbe - Schindler, Kilian, Czichos, Schmitz - Hector (c) - Duda, Uth, Kainz - Modeste, Andersson

Out: Hauptmann (ill), T. Horn (knee), Köbbing (knee), Ostrak (muscular)

Doubtful: Ljubicic (muscular), Özcan (calf), Skhiri (ill)

Coach: Steffen Baumgart

Stuttgart: Müller - Mavropanos, Anton, Ito - Karazor - Coulibaly, Endo (c), Mangala, Sosa - Förster, Marmoush

Out: Kalajdzic (shoulder), Klement (not included), Millot (knee), Sankoh (knee)

Doubtful: Massimo (ankle), Nartey (knee)

Coach: Pellegrino Matarazzo