Koln are guaranteed to finish seventh or higher in the Bundesliga standings. The Billy Goats will play in the Europa Conference League qualifiers at the very least but a win over Stuttgart could send them into the Europa League.
Stuttgart are 16th in the league standings which is the relegation playoff place. The Swabians are in abysmal form with each of their last six games in the Bundesliga finishing without a win. Three points separate Stuttgart with Hertha Berlin in the race for survival.
At the same time, Stuttgart are just three points ahead of 17th-place Arminia Bielefeld. Arminia Bielefeld will need to win and overturn a seven-goal difference to finish outside of an automatic relegation place.
Koln took 12 points from the last 18 points on offer in the division. They scored 13 goals and conceded seven times across the last six matches.
Stuttgart took only four points from the last 18 on offer. They struggled to score goals with just four scored in the last six games. Eight goals were conceded by Stuttgart during that same six-game span.
The Swabians have a better head-to-head in matches with Koln. Stuttgart have a record of 3W-1D-2L in the teams’ last six matches in all competitions. However, Koln have won the last two matches in the Bundesliga between these teams. Koln won 1-0 in the reverse fixture against Stuttgart.
Stuttgart have a home record of 5W-4D-7L with 26 goals and 31 against. Their last two home matches both ended without wins.
Koln won their last two away games in the Bundesliga. They have an away record of 5W-6D-5L with 24 goals for and 26 against.
Jan Thielmann is ruled out of the final day with a ligament injury. Midfielder Tomas Ostrak has a muscle injury and will also miss the fixture. Forwards Marvin Obuz and Sebastian Andersson are both likely to miss out on the fixture due to injury and illness respectively.
Stuttgart could be without up to eight players. Injuries have been an issue this season for the Swabians. Stuttgart have scored 39 goals in 33 games this season. They have conceded the league’s fourth-most goals with 58.
Koln are coming off of a 1-0 loss to Wolfsburg. Despite the loss which ended a four-match winning streak, the Billy Goats should pick up a win at full-time for the third straight game versus Stuttgart. Stuttgart’s winless streak should continue with a 2-1 Koln win.