1. FC Köln
VfB Stuttgart
Yannick Gerhardt
Stats 
Stalemate in Cologne
There were no goals for the fans to celebrate on Wednesday evening in Cologne. Both sides looked defensively solid throughout, with merely sporadic chances being created, without either team ever really looking dangerous enough to make a breakthrough.
Huub Stevens made just one change to his starting eleven from the reopener against Gladbach, with Sercan Sararer coming into the starting eleven in place of Timo Werner. Right from the outset, VfB looked to operate from a stable defence and were the more active of the two sides in the opening period, creating the first chance on goal in the game. Sercan Sararer played a pass from the right to the centre, where Moritz Leitner had his effort deflected away from the target by defender Dominic Maroh (7’). There was a further opening for Huub Stevens‘ men in the 23rd minute, as Martin Harnik let fly from 18 meters out, but Köln’s keeper Timo Horn was down quickly to turn the effort away. With a half-hour on the clock, the hosts began to take the initiative, but could find no way through against a well organised VfB defence and thus, the teams went in at the break locked at 0-0.
Huub Stevens: "It was a very tactically played game by both sides. I think both teams can be pretty much satisfied with the way this game went." Post match comments
Just as in the first period, it was again VfB that got off to the more active beginning after the restart. Sercan Sararer was denied by Timo Horn, who got a foot out to turn away the close range effort (53’). Just minutes later, a delivery from a free-kick fell to the feet of Moritz Leitner, who fired just over the crossbar from 30 meters out (57‘). Just past the hour mark, Huub Stevens introduced Timo Werner to replace Sercan Sararer, but the move had little genuine attacking influence. At the other end, VfB had some fortune on their side, with Köln’s Finne firstly being denied by Sven Ulreich and then firing over from a promising position, having been disrupted by Timo Baumgartl as he got his effort away (76’, 77’). In the 83rd minute, the Norwegian had his next sight of goal, but fired over from a central position. The Cannstatt Boys failed to put the hosts under any further pressure in the remainder of the tie and at the end of the ninety minutes, the score-line remained at 0-0.
