Cologne vs TSG Hoffenheim

Monday’s Bundesliga action closes out at the RheinEnergieStadion, as Cologne and TSG Hoffenheim go head-to-head in a mid-table showdown.

Cologne grabbed an all-important 1-0 win away to Slovacko in midweek Europa League action to move one step closer to reaching the competition’s knockouts. However, things aren’t looking remotely nice in the Bundesliga, where they’ve alternated between winning (2) and losing (2) in four matches since an underwhelming 1-1 draw at relegation-battling Bochum on the eve of September’s international break. Yet there’s a reason for optimism in head coach Steffen Baumgart’s corner, with his men only losing once in their five home league outings in 2022/23 (W3, D1), including back-to-back wins in the build-up to this clash. Worryingly, though, the ‘Billy Goats’ have drawn a blank in their last three Bundesliga H2Hs against Hoffenheim (L3).

On the other hand, Hoffenheim unsurprisingly fell to a 2-0 home defeat to Bayern Munich last weekend, losing further ground on the current Bundesliga top four. But with fourth-placed Freiburg only four points away, ‘Die Kraichgauer’ can stay within touching distance of the top-four pace should they defy an indifferent five-game Bundesliga form on the road (W2, D1, L2). After avoiding defeat on their last two league travels (W1, D1), Hoffenheim can string together three straight top-flight away games without losing for the first time in 2022. That’s very much within a realm of possibility, given that Andre Breitenreiter’s men have been victorious in each of their last eight Bundesliga meetings with Cologne, accounting for the club’s longest-ever winning run against a specific opposition in the top flight.