How do Hamburg and Cologne compare ahead of Matchday 26 encounter?

It’s the battle of the Bundesliga’s returning clubs on Matchday 26 as Cologne travel to Hamburg in a potentially pivotal relegation clash that takes centre stage this weekend.

Lukas Kwasniok’s Cologne secured an emphatic 4-1 victory over Hamburg in the reverse fixture, but have won just two of their following 16 games which puts the Billy Goats in a precarious position, sitting level points with St. Pauli who occupy the relegation play-off place.

Watch: Highlights of Cologne's big win in the reverse fixture

Additionally, no team has picked up fewer points than the Carnival club, having secured just one point from a possible 15 following their 2-2 draw against high-flying Hoffenheim. During their current barren run, Cologne have suffered defeats against RB Leipzig, VfB Stuttgart, Augsburg and Borussia Dortmund ahead of Saturday’s trip to the Volksparkstadion.

In contrast, Hamburg have picked up seven points in the same period, and if you exclude their rescheduled Matchday 17 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen, only Bayern Munich, Leipzig and Dortmund have picked up more points than HSV (10) in their last five outings.

Watch: Who'll stay up, who'll go down?

Welcoming 2026 with a 2-1 defeat against Freiburg, Die Rothosen have only lost two of the nine games that followed, a remarkable run in which they took points off runaway leaders Bayern while securing wins against Heidenheim, Union Berlin and Wolfsburg.

Arsenal loanee Fábio Vieira has been a catalyst in orchestrating HSV’s uptick in form, converting his spot-kick against Germany’s record champions that initiated a purple patch of form for the Portuguese playmaker, who has returned three goals and provided an assist across four games.

Fábio Vieira has proved a crucial player for Hamburg in 2026. - Stuart Franklin

Having tasted defeat only three times in 2026, losing to Freiburg, Leipzig and Leverkusen, Hamburg’s robust defence has also played a key factor in their recent rise. Notably, only the Bundesliga’s top six teams have a better defensive record than Merlin Polzin’s charges, who have conceded 36 goals after 25 matches this season.

The three-time Rookie of the Month winner Luka Vušković - who won 95 percent of his duels against Wolfsburg, setting a season record - has been an intimidating force. Ranking in the top 10, alongside teammate Miro Muheim for duels won, the Tottenham Hotspur loanee has marshalled an often unsettled back line, which has made the Red Shorts difficult to beat. 

From back to front, it’s been a valiant team effort from Polzin’s men, who have registered three clean sheets in the Bundesliga since the turn of the year. With Daniel Heuer Fernandes proving an influential figure between the sticks, HSV have built the Volksparkstadion into a fortress with just four defeats in 13 Bundesliga games.

Watch: Luka Vušković - The next big thing?

Their robust defence and clinical attack will make Saturday’s task all the more difficult for the visitors, who have only won two of their 12 away games this campaign, with only St. Pauli (eight) and Heidenheim (four) picking up fewer than Cologne’s nine on the road.

However, taking four points from six against Hoffenheim has shown that Kwasniok’s side are capable of competing against the Bundesliga’s leading teams, having narrowly lost out to Dortmund with 10 men in their previous outing.

Wanting to secure their Bundesliga status, the dynamic duo of Saïd El Mala and Jakub Kamiński have formed a key part of Kwasniok’s attack at Cologne, having shared 14 goals between them. Only four players have covered more ground in the Bundesliga this term than the tenacious Kamiński (287.2km).

Watch: Ragnar Ache's insane overhead kick won February's Goal of the Month

Preferring to attack the flanks, only Stuttgart and Mainz have crossed the ball more than Cologne, with Mainz, Union and Hoffenheim narrowly edging Effzeh for airiel duels. A threat in the opposition box, Ragnar Ache has struck four goals in his last eight Bundesliga appearances. All eyes will be on the striker's duel with Vušković, with no player winning more aerial battles (124) than those two.

With Hamburg five points clear of 16th-placed St. Pauli, a win against Cologne would further re-establish Polzin’s men as a Bundesliga side. But as Cologne enter a season-defining period with four of their upcoming five games against teams in the bottom half of the Bundesliga, it makes Saturday’s trip to Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion all the more enticing.

About the clubs

Hamburg

Volksparkstadion

Cologne

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