FC KOLN VS STUTTGART PREVIEW & PREDICTION
FC Köln is still fighting for the preservation of life. On Sunday VfB Stuttgart is the opponent in the Domstad. The visitors have now left the degradation zone by a top series.
FC Koln :
The club from Cologne is still in last place. Peter Stöger had to clear the field as a trainer before the winter break. Under his successor Stefan Ruthenbeck things are going a bit better, but the gap that Cologne has to make up for is big, and more points are needed. Three bonus points were achieved last week, when FCK surprisingly won at RB Leipzig. Leonardo Bittencourt was important as a substitute by taking care of the winning goal (1-2).
The deficit in place fifteen is still eight points despite this success. And that with only ten games to go. That a giant stunt is necessary to keep Cologne at the highest level, that is clear. At the club they naturally refuse to give up. “As long as it is still possible [to stay in the Bundesliga] we will continue to fight,” says Ruthenbeck, who can call on almost all of his players on Sunday.
Stuttgart:
For VfB Stuttgart the coach change of a month ago was fantastic. Hannes Wolf had to clear the field for Tayfun Korkut. The football under the new coach is not to see, but in Stuttgart and surroundings no one cares. Korkut, as coach of Stuttgart, took ten points in four matches. The three victories in that series were always extremely minimal. For example, Stuttgart was too strong for Borussia MG (1-0), FC Augsburg (0-1), and last weekend for Eintracht Frankfurt (1-0).
The Stuttgart game is based on a system in which the emphasis is on the defense. In all three won games, Der VfB scored relatively quickly, after which a wall was set up for their own goal where the different opponents broke down. Whether this system can also work in the longer term is the big question, but if Stuttgart stays in the Bundesliga this year, it is largely thanks to the new tactic that Korkut has brought with it.
PREDICTION: Under 2.5 goals @ 1.79
