VFL Stuttgart 1893 vs FC Koln Prediction: Stuttgart will likely win and BTTS

Round 23 of the Bundesliga action gets underway on Saturday, February 24, at the MHP Arena with a matchup between Stuttgart and FC Koln. The relegation-threatened FC Koln takes on top-four contenders Stuttgart at the MHPArena in a match between two Bundesliga clubs at opposing ends of the ladder. Five months ago, the Billy Goats lost the rematch against Die Roten 2-0 at home, and now they want retribution.

Stuttgart beat Darmstadt 2-1 at the Merck-Stadion am Bollenfalltor over the weekend to continue their pursuit of UEFA Champions League participation. Since a 1-0 loss to Bochum on January 20, Sebastian Hoeness' team has won four straight Bundesliga games while surrendering five goals and scoring thirteen. Stuttgart is four points behind second-place Bayern Munich in the rankings with 46 points after 22 games.

Koln, meanwhile, lost 1-0 to Werder Bremen over the weekend, and they are still struggling at the bottom of the standings. In ten games across all competitions, Timo Schultz's team has only triumphed once and lost four times since defeating Darmstadt 1-0 on December 1. Koln is currently in 16th position in the Bundesliga with 16 points from 22 games, six points behind Borussia Monchengladbach in 15th place and barely above the relegation playoff slot.

Stuttgart hopes to build on their previous performance, defeating Darmstadt 1-2 in Bundesliga 1. Stuttgart had 44% of the possession in that game and 4 of their 13 shots on goal were on target. Mahmoud Dahoud and Serhou Guirassy scored goals for Stuttgart. 

Although Stuttgart has been giving up goals lately, they have also been able to score goals. Stuttgart has allowed goals to be scored in six of their last six games while scoring goals in five of those contests. It's possible that this pattern won't carry over into the game, though.

Stuttgart goalkeeper Sebastian Hoeneß will be without Nikolas Nartey (fitness), Deniz Undav (torn muscle fibre), Alexander Nübel (hip issues), and Dan-Axel Zagadou (cruciate ligament rupture) will not be available. Due to his suspension, Pascal Stenzel will not be allowed to participate in this game.

FC Koln will be looking to bounce back from their defeat to Werder Bremen in their most recent Bundesliga 1 match. Cologne had a 57% possession rate and 3 of their 13 attempts on goal were on target during the game. 

There have only been very few goals scored between FC Koln and their opponents in five of the last six meetings. Köln averaged 0.83 goals, whereas the overall average goals scored per game over that period was only 2.17. Due to a fully healthy roster that is available for selection, Timo Schultz, the manager of Cologne, has no reservations regarding player fitness before this match.

It is hard to back against a Stuttgart team that is playing well at home, but Koln cannot be completely written off since they are struggling to make ends meet and cannot afford to lose any more games. Even so, Die Roten, who ranks third in the Bundesliga, ought to have little trouble breaking through Koln's defence, whose well-documented goalscoring issues might betray them once more on Saturday. We get the impression that FC Koln will need to play very well to score against a Stuttgart team that is poised to create opportunities for several goals without giving up.

Both teams will attack in an entertaining game, hence expect more corners and yellow cards. By the end of this one, it is likely to see a Stuttgart win with a potential scoreline of 3-0 or 2-0.