Hoffenheim travel to Cathedral City

"The atmosphere inside the RheinEnergieStadion is fantastic", knows the Hoffenheim manager, Ralf Rangnick, who is expecting to see a defensive Köln side step out onto the pitch on Friday night. A likely formation would be the 4-1-4-1 system that saw Zvonomir Soldo's side draw 0-0 against FC Bayern. "In this system they stay more compact, which gave them no chance to create goal scoring opportunities", Rangnick said of Köln's 0-0 draw with the champions. The slow start to the season that Podolski and co. seem to be experiencing, is something that Hoffenheim can use to their advantage to get their good start to the season back on track. Köln are in need of points. So we have to give them as few chances as possible will raising our own level of play", stated Rangnick.

"A good feeling"

Dominance is the key word for how Hoffenheim want to overcome the "billy goats", as Köln are known. "If we present ourselves as dominant there is a chance we can use the atmosphere to our advantage. Dependant on how the game plays out, I believe that the visiting team can also use the crowd and the atmosphere in the stadium", believes manager Rangnick who has stated he has "a good feeling" about his teams' chances. Knowing the strengths of his young team, Rangnick went on to point out: "There is definitely room for improvement but I'm pleased with how far we've come already."

No new injuries, Stark still questionable

Whether 1899's number one will reclaim his spot between the posts is still uncertain.
The decision on his involvement will be taken after he completes his final training session, but the calf injury continues to cause him problems. The man from Dresden has already missed matches against 1. FC Kaiserslautern and FC Bayern München, with Daniel Haas taking his place for both matches.

Chinedu Obasi and Matthias Jaissle are continuing their rehabilitation with light training and are the only two players to remain behind for the trip to the cathedral city. Changes to the starting line-up are likely, as some players may be rested after their exploits in mid-week, not to mention an increased level of competition in the squad thanks to certain new arrivals.

Facts and stats to the match

There has been a clear winner in all seven games these two teams have played against one another. Köln currently lead the way with 4 wins to 3, but in the Bundesliga, Ralf Rangnick's men still hold the edge with a 3 to 1 advantage. Goals are another thing that statistics suggest are almost guaranteed. Hoffenheim have scored at least one goal in their last 9 competitive matches, which is the goal scoring run in the Bundesliga.