🇩🇪 Stuttgart vs Köln 🇩🇪 — Prediction
Bundesliga · Matchday 2 · Fri, 04 Sept 2026, 20:30 CEST · MHPArena, Stuttgart
Why we called it
Stuttgart open at home after being taken apart 5-1 at Bayern on matchday 1, where Hoeness went 3-4-2-1 with Bredlow behind Jeltsch-Chabot-Hendriks and Undav just off Pejcinovic; Zagadou, Nartey, Diehl and Arevalo are out, so the back line stays makeshift but Demirovic and Tiago Tomas are available to freshen the front line. Koln arrive on a high after coming from behind twice to beat Hoffenheim 3-2 at the RheinEnergieSTADION, with El Mala levelling and substitute Dallinga scoring twice, though Ache remains the nominal number nine and the defence conceded two soft goals. The market makes Stuttgart clear but not overwhelming favourites (around 1.50 home, 6.00 for Koln), and the hosts are unbeaten against Koln since December 2021, so this is a clear-favourite match rather than a rout. Trimming the margin to one goal: 2-1 Stuttgart, with Koln's front three good enough to punish a defence that has already looked open.