Stuttgart seek response as depleted Köln arrive buoyed by Hoffenheim upset | OneFootball

VfB Stuttgart host 1. FC Köln in their Bundesliga home bow, looking to recover from a 5-1 opening defeat at Bayern. According to BuLi News, Köln travel encouraged by their comeback win over Hoffenheim but short-handed up front.

Dayot Upamecano struck first for Bayern, Josha Vagnoman equalised on 52 minutes, then an own goal by the same player helped make it 3-1 five minutes later. Pavlović and Diaz later completed the scoring, a stark contrast to Stuttgart’s 4-0 Pokal win at Hansa Rostock.

Stuttgart’s options are thinned, with Tiago Tomás sidelined by a muscle issue until after the international break. Also unavailable are Lorenz Assignon, Nikolas Nartey, Dan-Axel Zagadou, Jeremy Arévalo, Luca Jaquez, Justin Diehl and Dennis Seimen. A positive result would steady them before a Champions League opener against Viking FK and league tests with Hoffenheim and Dortmund.

Köln, who finished fourteenth last season, edged Würzburger Kickers 2-1 in the Pokal, then overturned two deficits to beat Hoffenheim 3-2 at the RheinEnergieStadion. Loan forward Thijs Dallinga scored on 72 and 82 minutes, Said El Mala netted the first equaliser on 51, and Marvin Schwäbe saved Max Moerstedt’s penalty on 57.

Both Dallinga and El Mala are out ill, while Luca Waldschmidt, Sebastian Sebulonsen and Timo Hübers are also sidelined. Given those absences, Köln might sit deep and aim for a draw before Werder Bremen if their forwards recover in time.

Köln have not beaten VfB since 2021, with two draws and five defeats, their last success a 2-0 Pokal win in Stuttgart, and their most recent league away win there in 2015. Stuttgart last lost their first two Bundesliga matches in 2018/19, a season that ended in relegation.

Source: BuLi News

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”