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

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Baku began on the bench on Saturday as Wolfsburg slipped to a 2-0 home defeat by VfB Stuttgart, but the Germany international should be in the starting line-up for this one after adding greater directness and attacking thrust once he came on. That result left the Wolves without a win since beating Augsburg on 6 November, dropping Florian Kohfeldt's side down to 11th in the standings. They will be particularly keen to pick up some morale-boosting points here, before rounding out the year with a trip to leaders Bayern Munich. They will be without left-back Paulo Otavio though, as the Brazilian suffered a serious knee injury against Stuttgart, but in Jerome Roussillon, Kohfeldt has a ready-made replacement. Aster Vranckx is doubtful after limping out of that game too, with Josuha Guilavogui and Yannick Gerhardt vying to step in alongside Maximilian Arnold in central midfield.

Visitors Cologne were likewise on the wrong side of a 2-0 scoreline on Matchday 15, the Billy Goats twice coming undone in the closing stages at home to Augsburg. As such, they are still just a point and place behind Wolfsburg in the standings, so will view this game as an opportunity to put another team between themselves and the relegation zone. Steffen Baumgart's side have scored just once in their last 180 minutes of action, with eight-goal leading scorer Modeste now four games without hitting the target. The Frenchman is therefore long overdue a goal. He was partnered up top by Sebastian Andersson last Friday, and Baumgart has confirmed the pair will start together again. But it will be a last-minute decision whether local boy Mark Uth returns to the side following illness.

Match stats

Wout Weghorst has two goals and an assist in four previous meetings with Cologne.

Despite his Nmecha's best efforts, the Wolves are the lowest scorers of teams outside the bottom two.

Wolfsburg players have been shown a league-high 34 cards after 15 matches.

Modeste has scored six times in 11 meetings with Wolfsburg, including two in six for Cologne.

Only Bayern (291) and Borussia Mönchengladbach (231) have fired off more shots on goal than Cologne's 220 this season.

The Billy Goats have only won one of 14 trips to Wolfsburg - a 3-2 victory on 24 January 2010 - losing 10 and drawing three.

Probable line-ups

Wolfsburg: Casteels (c) - Baku, Lacroix, Brooks, Roussillon - Guilavogui, Arnold - Lukebakio, L. Nmecha, Steffen - Weghorst

Out: Mehmedi (muscular), Schlager (knee), Otavio (knee), Philipp (muscular), William (knee)

Doubtful: Vranckx (knock), Waldschmidt (ill)

Coach: Florian Kohfeldt

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

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

Doubtful: Uth (ill)

Coach: Steffen Baumgart