Next match: Köln in good spirits following victory in Berlin

There can be no doubting that Köln boss Zvonimir Soldo envisaged his first few months as a Bundesliga coach somewhat differently. It took until Matchday 6 for the former Stuttgart midfield general to claim his first win as manager. His first home victory, meanwhile, came on Matchday 9 as Milivoje Novakovic scored the only goal of the game against FSV Mainz 05. Following the DFB Cup quarter final success over Eintracht Trier, Köln were looking to move away from the bottom three with a positive result against Hannover 96, but a combative display from the hosts put paid to any hopes of the Billy Goats coming away with a point. Soldo felt that the main difference between the two sides was the energy levels shown: "I certainly never told anyone to stop running. You can't expect to win challenges without any passion and effort." Even Lukas Podolski seemed frustrated for the first time since his return to the club.

Indeed, Köln and their supporters have invested a lot of hope in their 'lost son' and were hoping that his partnership with Novakovic would fire them back into European contention. Podolski, however, was the first to admit that things were not going quite as planned: "Everyone here is professional enough to realise when they haven't played well, me included." The lack of goalscoring opportunities will have come as a worry: "I'm not exactly sure where things are going wrong," said Podolski in reference to Köln's negative goal difference. "There's a danger that we could ruin all the progress we've made recently with just one or two poor matches," warned Soldo.

The victory in Berlin came as a massive weight off of Soldo's shoulders, with the dream-duo of Novakovic and Podolski combining for the winner. Even so, the performance was hardly awe-inspiring . This Saturday, Hoffenheim are the visitors and head to the 'Cathedral City' with a 100 per cent record against Köln in the Bundesliga so far. The match at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena was a particular success for Hoffenheim as goals from Demba Ba and Sejad Salihovic ensured a 2-0 victory over the visitors and indeed the club's first victory in 12 games. In the reverse fixture at the RheinEnergieStadion, Hoffenheim emerged 3-1 victors.