Tension and triumph

In front of a crowd of 58,716 in the Mercedes-Benz Arena on Friday evening, VfB secured a 2-1 win over 1. FC Köln – a victory which saw Hannes Wolf’s men extended their unbeaten home run further still. In their fourth game of the current campaign, the Cannstatt Boys remain undefeated on their home turf (three wins, one draw). The closing minutes of the game proved an absolute rollercoaster ride – first the VfB fateful held their breath awaiting the outcome of a video-referee decision, before Chadrac Akolo made it 2-1 and then Ron-Robert Zieler was forced to make a strong save to prevent a last gasp equaliser for the visitors. The only dampener on VfB claiming all three points was the ankle injury to Marcin Kaminski. The Polish defender was later taken to hospital for further examinations on the joint.

Personnel

Compared to the side that began in Frankfurt before the international break, coach Hannes Wolf made three changes to his starting eleven, with Andreas Beck, Chadrac Akolo and Daniel Ginczek making way for Orel Mangala, Josip Brekalo and Simon Terodde from the outset. On the night, Emiliano Insua was back in the VfB squad again. The defender, who was an almost ever-present in the shirt with the infamous red hoop over the past two season, suffered a severe cut to his thigh in August, which put him out of action.