FC Köln vs Stuttgart preview: Top-half rivals meet | OneFootball

FC Köln

After winning promotion as 2. Bundesliga champions last season, Köln were expected to focus on survival, but their bright start has supporters dreaming of more. Kwasniok’s men opened their campaign with back-to-back victories, including a dominant 4-1 home win against Freiburg in which they raced into a four-goal lead.

Last weekend brought their first setback as they lost 3-1 away to RB Leipzig, conceding three times before half-time. That defeat dropped them to fourth place with seven points from four games, just behind Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund.

Köln have been strong offensively so far, with only Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt scoring more goals this season. A win on Sunday would keep them in the top half, but they face a Stuttgart side that has found its rhythm after a slow start.

Team News

Köln remain without central defenders Rav van den Berg (shoulder) and Luca Kilian (ACL), so Joel Schmied and Timo Hübers are expected to continue at the back.

Predicted lineup - 3-4-2-1: Schwäbe - Schmied, Hübers, Krauß - Sebulonsen, Johannesson, Martel, Lund - Thielmann, Kaminski - Ache

Stuttgart

Sebastian Hoeneß’s side finished mid-table last season but are building momentum after an uneven start to 2025-26. Stuttgart opened the campaign with consecutive 2-1 defeats in the Super Cup and Bundesliga, but have since won five of their last six matches across all competitions.

On Thursday, they followed up a 2-0 league win over St. Pauli by beating Celta Vigo 2-1 in the Europa League, with Bilal El Khannouss starring in both games. Their domestic form has lifted them to eighth in the table with six points, just one behind Köln and within striking distance of the top four.

Their away record is impressive too, with seven wins, one draw and just two defeats since April.

Team News

Stuttgart’s forward line has been hit by injuries. Deniz Undav remains sidelined with a knee issue, while Justin Diehl (muscle) and Silas (ankle) are also out. Ermedin Demirović is set to lead the attack, supported by Tiago Tomás, Jamie Leweling and El Khannouss.

At the back, Finn Jeltsch (groin) and Leonidas Stergiou (foot) are both unavailable until next month. Jeff Chabot is likely to be partnered by youngster Luca Jaquez in central defence.

Predicted lineup - 4-2-3-1: Nübel - Assignon, Chabot, Jaquez, Mittelstädt - Stiller, Chema - Tomás, El Khannouss, Leweling - Demirović