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Hamburg will continue their search for a first Bundesliga point of the season when they welcome Koln to the Volksparkstadion on Saturday afternoon.
Merlin Polzin's side have endured a nightmare start to the 2026-27 campaign, losing all three of their league matches and suffering consecutive 5-0 defeats in their last two outings.
Koln, meanwhile, travel north to Germany's second-largest city looking for their first victory since the opening day, having followed a 3-2 win over Hoffenheim with a defeat and a draw.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Hamburg vs. Koln key stats
- Hamburg are one of just two Bundesliga sides yet to score this season.
- Merlin Polzin's side have conceded 10 goals across their last two league matches, losing both 5-0.
- Koln have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last five competitive matches.
- Die Geissbocke won this exact fixture 4-1 last season, but have won just four of their 11 visits to the Volksparkstadion.
Hamburg vs. Koln preview: Can Hamburg end their nightmare start?
Hamburg vs. Koln — Tale of the Tape
| Hamburg | vs | Koln |
|---|---|---|
| 18th | Position | 12th |
| 0 | Points | 4 |
| 0 | Goals For | 5 |
| 12 | Goals Against | 7 |
| 0 | Clean Sheets | 0 |
| 18th / 17th | Home / Away Rank | 5th / 14th |
Finishing nine points clear of the relegation zone last season, Hamburg survived their return to the Bundesliga with relative comfort after closing out the campaign with two wins and a draw.
That late improvement helped to mask an inconsistent season on their return to the top flight, although Polzin's side were fortunate that several teams below them failed to produce stronger results during the run-in.
The early stages of the 2026-27 campaign suggest that Hamburg have not addressed those issues, with Die Rothosen now one of only two teams yet to collect a point after three league matches.
They have also failed to score in the Bundesliga, while their 12 goals conceded represent the worst defensive record in the division, with 10 of those goals arriving in their last two matches.
Those heavy defeats to Mainz and RB Leipzig followed an opening-day loss away to Borussia Dortmund, meaning two of Hamburg's first three fixtures came against teams that finished in the Bundesliga's top three last season.
That difficult schedule offers some justification for their disastrous start, but Polzin's side have still won just once in all competitions this season, with their only success coming against third-tier Verl in the DFB-Pokal.
With September drawing to a close, Hamburg will know that Saturday's meeting offers a crucial opportunity to finally kick-start their Bundesliga campaign.
Koln, meanwhile, finished six points and one place below Hamburg last season but have already made a more encouraging start to their second season back in the Bundesliga, having returned to the top flight alongside their upcoming opponents in 2025.
Rene Wagner's side began the campaign with a nervy 2-1 victory over amateur outfit Wurzburger FV in the DFB-Pokal before edging Hoffenheim 3-2 on the opening weekend.
A heavy defeat away to Stuttgart followed, but Koln responded with a 1-1 draw against Werder Bremen last time out to collect four points from their opening three league matches.
The draw was perhaps fitting given Die Geissbocke recorded 11 stalemates from 34 league matches last season, the highest total in the division, and Wagner will be keen to turn more of those draws into victories this time around as Koln look to avoid another relegation battle.
Mario Vuskovic remains unavailable due to a doping violation, while Hamburg will be without five other players because of various injuries and fitness issues.
Koln, meanwhile, travel north with just Timo Hubers and Gian-Luca Waldschmidt unavailable, leaving Wagner with a significantly healthier squad to choose from.
Hamburg vs. Koln form guide & betting tips
| Hamburg | vs | Koln |
|---|---|---|
|
L
L
L
|
Form |
W
L
D
|
| 0 | Points | 4 |
| 18th | Form Table | 12th |
| 0 | Goals For | 5 |
| 12 | Goals Against | 7 |
|
W
L
L
L
|
Form (All Comps) |
W
W
L
D
|
Whispers predicts: Hamburg 0-1 Koln
Hamburg's start to the season has been difficult to ignore, with Polzin's side still without a point or a Bundesliga goal after three matches and having conceded 10 times across their last two outings.
Koln have also struggled to find consistency, but their four-point return and superior attacking output gives them the edge heading into Saturday's contest.
With Hamburg yet to score in the Bundesliga and Koln having failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last five competitive matches, we expect a closely fought encounter, making Under 2.5 goals at 11/8 an appealing option.
Thijs Dallinga opened the season with a brace but has failed to score in either of his subsequent league appearances, and the Dutch striker is currently priced at 11/8 to register his third Bundesliga goal of the campaign.
> Koln to win at 29/20 | Likelihood: Probable
> Under 2.5 goals at 11/8 | Likelihood: Probable
> Thijs Dallinga to score anytime at 7/4 | Likelihood: Possible
> Correct score of 0-1 at 11/1 | Likelihood: Outsider