Preview: Hoffenheim vs. FC Koln - prediction, team news, lineups

The visitors, meanwhile, will be aiming to extend their unbeaten run to four matches after turning things around in recent weeks.

Match preview

Hoffenheim's 2-0 defeat at home to Bayern Munich in late October marked the beginning of a lengthy winless run of 14 matches for Die Kraichgauer in the Bundesliga, with the relegation-threatened outfit falling to the bottom of the table after collecting just two points from that dismal period either side of the World Cup.

Having won three consecutive matches to move away from the relegation zone in recent weeks, then, their trip to Munich to take on the league leaders was the ultimate litmus test to gauge the true level of Pellegrino Matarazzo's players' improvement.

While they rode their luck on several occasions, with Oliver Baumann making seven saves in the visitors' goal to deny the Bavarians adding to Benjamin Pavard's early opener, Andrej Kramaric's equaliser with less than 20 minutes of normal time remaining provided Hoffenheim with an unexpected point from their toughest match of the season.

With four matches against more sides occupying places in the top half of Germany's top flight awaiting them after Saturday's home match against Koln, Matarazzo will be urging his players to seize on the momentum which they have worked wonders to build across recent outings, with jumping up to 11th position a distinct possibility should they win for a fourth time in five games.

Wins have proven hard to come by for Koln in recent times, too, with Steffan Baumgart's prevailing only twice across their last 12 league matches.

However, five points from their last three games has quietened any lingering fears that they may have had regarding the outside possibility of relegation, with Dejan Ljubicic claiming a deserved point for the Billy Goats against Mainz 05 last weekend.

Bo Svensson's side had taken the lead through Ludovic Ajorque's early strike, which ultimately proved to be the visitors' only shot on target across the entire encounter. Indeed, with five clean sheets from their last 11 league outings, defending has certainly not been an issue for Koln for the most part in recent months.

Scoring goals clearly has been, though, with Baumgart's side finding the back of net on only nine occasions in their 12 matches since thrashing Werder Bremen 7-1 in their first game back after returning from the World Cup. The 51-year-old will be hoping Hoffenheim prove particularly accommodating this weekend.

Hoffenheim Bundesliga form:

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D

FC Koln Bundesliga form:

D

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D

Team News

Hoffenheim appear to have lost key defender Kevin Vogt for the rest of the season due to a serious knee injury, meaning Ozan Kabak is likely to start once again after returning to the side for the 1-1 draw against Bayern last weekend.

Justin Che and Jacob Bruun Larsen are expected to remain sidelined through knee and groin issues respectively, with Matarazzo set to reward the same group of players with another start after claiming a superb result in Munich last time out.

Koln, meanwhile, will travel without forwards Sebastian Andersson, Florian Dietz and Mark Uth, who all remain out of action through long-term injuries.

Like his forthcoming counterpart, Baumgart is unlikely to make any alterations to Koln's starting XI having seen his side's performances improve across recent games.

Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:

Baumann; Kabak, Brooks, Akpoguma; Kaderabek, Geiger, Stiller, Angelino; Kramaric, Baumgartner; Bebou

FC Koln possible starting lineup:

Schwabe; Schmitz, Hubers, Chabot, Hector; Ljubicic, Martel; Schindler, Kainz, Maina; Selke

We say: Hoffenheim 3-1 FC Koln

Hoffenheim are on a serious roll at this present moment in time, having moved five points clear of the relegation zone after taking 10 points from a possible 12 in recent weeks.

With Kramaric back to his goalscoring best, we expect them to have a little too much for Koln, who would see their opponents move above them in the table should they succumb to defeat.

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