FC Koln vs Stuttgart Prediction 28.09.2025 | Bundesliga

After being crowned 2. Bundesliga champions in May, FC Köln returned to the top tier of German football just 12 months after leaving it, with a clear ambition to maintain their status among the league’s best for as long as possible.

The red-and-whites, just promoted to the top flight, began their 2025-26 campaign on a bright note, eking out a slim but important 1-0 win away at Mainz, before hitting their stride and hammering Freiburg 4-1 in the following fixture.

Their bright start was slightly spoiled in the next pair of Bundesliga fixtures, as the Billy Goats played out a spectacular 6-goal draw at Wolfsburg, then endured their first loss of the campaign, going down 3-1 to RB Leipzig, but their 7-point haul place them inside the top four.

After allowing six goals in their most recent two league matches, FC Koln heads into their game against the high-scoring Stuttgart with some anxiety, knowing they must tighten up at the back to keep pace with the Big Three.

Centre-backs Rav van den Berg and Luca Kilian are confirmed unavailable for Sunday’s clash due to shoulder and ACL injuries, while the fitness of key winger Marius Bulter remains uncertain after he was subbed off last week with an apparent knock.

Stuttgart, who earned direct entry into the Europa League last season by winning the DFB-Pokal, got their European campaign off to a winning start, cruising to a 2-1 home victory over Spanish opposition Celta Vigo this Thursday.

Domestically, things still haven’t clicked perfectly for Die Schwaben, who managed to eke out a modest six points from their opening quartet of Bundesliga fixtures, placing them eighth, just one point behind the Sunday hosts.

The main reason for their mixed performance lies in their disastrous away games, as they remain the only side alongside Heidenheim yet to earn a point, falling 2-1 to Union Berlin and succumbing to a 3-1 defeat against Freiburg.

Coach Sebastian Hoeness faces a headache as Finn Jeltsch, Silas, and Deniz Undav are all sidelined with injuries, while Leonidas Stergiou and Justin Diehl also face doubts ahead of Sunday’s clash.