Highlights
M. Fritz
0:18
WATCH: POSCH: "I DON'T SCORE VERY OFTEN SO IT'S A COOL FEELING!"
90'
+ 6
FULL TIME! COLOGNE 0-1 HOFFENHEIM
Hoffenheim win a very entertaining encounter. Stefan Posch's goal was the difference as TSG go fourth. Cologne stay eighth.
Full-time
90'
+ 5
90'
+ 4
NERVY
Schwäbe with a heavy touch as he controls a back-pass. Rutter's hunting him down, but the Cologne stopper recovers to clear. Almost a horrible error...
90'
+ 3
HEAD BLOW
Baumgartner's down after a clash of heads, prompting the referee to temporarily stop play. The Hoffenheim man's OK, and on we go...
90'
+ 2
Substitution
90'
+ 1
WIDE!
Into the first minute of added time as Lemperle glances a header wide. On second viewing, that came off his shoulder.
90'
GRILLITSCH TO THE RESCUE!
Schmitz curls in another peach of a cross. Andersson has the Cologne fans on their feet as he stoops to head at the near post. Baumann's scrambling, but it's Grillitsch with a quite brilliant block to take the sting out of the effort and the keeper gathers.
90'
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes
Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.
89'
LAST THROW OF THE DICE
Positive changes from Baumgart. Can Cologne find an equaliser?
89'
Substitution
89'
Substitution
85'
MODESTE!
Uth shifts the play out wide for Schmitz. The cross finds Modeste, who beats his marker but not Baumann. Routine save for the TSG No.1. It's not Modeste's day, but then it never is against his former club. The Frenchman is winless and without a goal or assist in seven Bundesliga meetings with Hoffenheim.
83'
WIDE!
Rutter runs into the Cologne area. He goes one way and then cuts back inside, teasing a cross towards the back post, but shooting instead, and drills a low effort across the face of goal and wide.
80'
SCHINDLER ON
Baumgart introduces Schindler. He can be a useful outlet in the attacking wide areas...
80'
Substitution
79'
DOUBLE SWITCH
Modeste heads Uth's in-swinging corner onto the roof of the net, allowing Hoeneß the opportunity to shuffle his pack. Defender Vogt and forward Dabbur replace Akpoguma and Kramaric in a pair of like-for-like changes.
78'
Substitution
78'
Substitution
77'
OVER FROM RUTTER
Hoffenheim break with Kramaric. He delays and delays, before slipping in Rutter to his right. There are men in the middle, but he goes for the shot and blazes over.
73'
DOUBLE CHANGE
Attacking changes from Baumgart as Andersson and Thielmann enter the fray. The former directs a corner wide with virtually his first touch.
72'
Substitution
72'
Substitution
70'
POWER OF THE PUNCH
Baumann's taking no chances with a cross in towards his near post. He punches clear, with Modeste lurking,
68'
WOODWORK AGAIN!
Here come Hoffenheim up the left-hand side this time. Cologne have men back on the edge of the six-yard box, but only half clear, and Baumgartner leathers against the upright.
66'
KRAMARIC!
Chabot fluffs his attempted clearance. Hoffenheim get the ball into the channel and square for Kramaric in the box, but Schwäbe is out to make the block. The loose ball then rebounds off Kramaric and behind, before a late offside flag goes up.
62'
HOFFENHEIM LEAD!
The visitors get the goal they arguably deserve. A free-kick is played short to Kramaric... it's worked back and then left to Raum, who swings over an inviting cross. Posch gets up above Killian to place a towering header into the bottom corner. Straight off the training ground.
59'
OFFSIDE GOAL
Modeste is yards offside as he meets a free-kick from the left. Tidy finish, but the linesman's flag was up immediately.
56'
CHANGE UP TOP
Hoffenheim's leading marksman makes way, having spurned some very presentable scoring chances. Rutter, who has six league goals this term, is on.
56'
Substitution
55'
MORE PURPOSE FROM COLOGNE
Possession (%)
5347
55'
52'
DENIED!
Akpoguma with a brilliantly timed challenge, just as Ljubicic - one-on-one with Baumann - goes to shoot. High fives for the TSG defender - that was superb defending.
47'
WORTH A GO!
Horn drives up the left for Cologne. The space opens up and he takes aim, but it's a routine stop from Baumann.
46'
OFF THE POST!
Another chance comes and goes for Hoffenheim. Raum finds Bebou unmarked in the six-yard box, but the TSG striker heads his effort against the outside of Schwäbe's left-hand post. That's the 17th time Hoffenheim have hit the woodwork this season - a league high!
46'
COLOGNE KICK US OFF
Will home advantage pay in the end?
Kick-off!
45'
+ 1
COSTLY MISSES?
xGoals
The xGoals value of a club is calculated from the sum of all goal probabilities (goals and shots on goal) of that team. During a match, it’s easy to see whether the club is performing better than expected (goals > xGoals) - or maybe even higher (xGoals > goals).
xGoals
0
0.52
2.11
0
Goals
45'
+ 1
Goal attempts
2off target
1on target
7off target
1on target
45'
+ 1
GOALLESS AT THE BREAK!
Bebou and Modeste with the best chances, but still we await the breakthrough.
Half-time
40'
MODESTE!
Oh, Tony! Uth's played in over the top. His cut-back is right on the money... Modeste goes to shoot on the penalty spot, but scuffs it into the ground and over. Best chance yet...
35'
COLOGNE RESPONSE
Modeste has Cologne's first effort on the Hoffenheim goal, but doesn't fully connect with his shot. The Billy Goats soon get it back as Horn whips a ball onto the boot of Uth, who volleys into the side netting.
30'
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes
Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.
26'
BEBOU!
Raum's cross from the left finds Kramaric. The shot's not on, but the pass is. He plays in Bebou, who goes into the box and attempts to round Schwäbe, but the ex-Hoffenheim stopper gets something on the ball to force the Togo forward wide. Defenders then scramble back to clear. Should have scored.
20'
CHANCE!
David Raum goes on the outside and whips over a telling cross. Kramaric misses his kick, though, which does Bebou no favours whatsoever. The ball hits him more than anything, and goes over. All that needed was a touch from Kramaric...
18'
HOFFENHEIM PROBING
Bebou holds off his man as he drives towards the edge of the Cologne area. He telegraphs Kaderabek's overlapping run, but Cologne smuggle it clear once more. Those wing-back positions could be key today...
13'
DECENT SPELL
Hoffenheim move the ball really well, pegging the Cologne players back as they switch from left to right. Kaderabek tries to get a cross into the box, but is crowded out by a pair of white shirts. Good hustle.
6'
WAYWARD
Kramaric shapes to take a free-kick on the left-hand side of the Cologne area, but instead of chipping into the danger zone plays it square to Grillitsch. His shot is high, wide and still travelling. What a waste!
2'
LONG THROW
Benno Schmitz, who signed a new deal during the week, launches a throw into the Hoffenheim area. Skhiri gets the final touch, but Baumann's under no pressure as he goes to gather.
1'
HERE WE GO!
Hoffenheim kick us off. It's the final fixture of Matchday 25, with Mainz vs. Dortmund postponed until 16 March.
Kick-off!
MOMENT'S REFLECTION
Captains Baumann and Modeste exchange pleasantries in Cologne as John Lennon's Imagine plays out. A moment's reflection in light of events in Ukraine follows.
0:14
WATCH: SUNNY SKIES IN COLOGNE
SCHWÄBE REUNITED
Cologne goalkeeper Marvi Schwäbe faces Hoffenheim for the first time, having come spent three years at the Sinsheim club between 2013 and 2015. "We became German champions with the U19s, and I was given my first taste of professional football," he recalled. "I do look back fondly on my time there. Of course, you know some of the other side, but on Sunday you try to hide it and make it a normal game. We owe them one, anyway, after the 5-0 defeat earlier in the season."
KRAM THE MAN
It looks like Andrej Kramaric will line up in a more advanced role today. The Croatian has scored five and assisted two in his previous three meetings with Cologne...
MORE ON THOSE TEAMS
Baumgart is forced into a couple of changes at the back, with Julian Chabot and Jannes Horn replacing Timo Hübers and Jonas Hector. Dejan Ljubicic, meanwhile, is recalled in midfield at the expense of Jan Thielmann. As for Hoffenheim, midfielder Dennis Geiger and defender Benjamin Hübner are unavailable, so Angelo Stiller and Kevin Akpoguma come in respectively. Diadie Samassekou also gets the nod in midfield, with forward Georginio Rutter dropping to the bench.
COLOGNE STARTING LINE-UP
Schwäbe - Schmitz, Kilian, Chabot, J. Horn - Skhiri, Özcan - Ljubicic, Uth, Kainz - Modeste (c)
COLOGNE SUBS
T. Horn, Arrey Mbi, Andersson, Schindler, Duda, Ehizibue, Schaub, Lemperle, Thielmann
HOFFENHEIM STARTING LINE-UP
Baumann (c) - Posch, Grillitsch, Akpoguma - Kaderabek, Baumgartner, Samassekou, Stiller, Raum - Bebou, Kramaric
HOFFENHEIM SUBS
Philipp, Bruun Larsen, Dabbur, Adams, Vogt, Che, Rutter, Bischof
HOENESS CALLS FOR FOCUS
Hoeneß was equally as praiseworthy when analysing Cologne ahead of the teams' Matchday 25 encounter. "They press intensively and high," the Sinsheimers's coach said. "At home, they never stop and often succeed. We will have to cover the spaces well."
BAUMGART WARY
Cologne coach Steffen Baumgart has warned his team that they are meeting, "a very good opponent," in Hoffenheim. "[They] go into this game having won their last three matches in a row [while] in their last two, they came from behind to win," the charismatic tactician said. "We'll look to play forward and create chances."
2:03
WATCH: HISTORY FAVOURS HOFFENHEIM
2:03
WATCH: GREUTHER FÜRTH 1-1 COLOGNE
2:03
WATCH: HOFFENHEIM 2-1 STUTTGART
FORM BOOKS
Cologne were held to a 1-1 draw by rock-bottom Greuther Fürth last time out, but recorded 1-0 wins over Freiburg and Frankfurt in their previous home games. Hoffenheim are chasing a fourth straight victory.
TABLE TALK
Cologne begin the day in eighth, but will climb a place with a win. Hoffenheim, meanwhile, are among the teams sitting on 40 points that Cologne are trying to keep pace with, and could finish the day as high as fourth.
STAY TUNED!
Expect a big atmosphere at the RheinEnergieSTADION, with up to 37,500 fans expected to be in attendance for a game that holds plenty of intrigue in the race for a top-four finish.