HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim hosts RheinStars Cologne on Friday in ProA basketball action at Arena Hohenlohe in Ilshofen.
Tipsterio reported that Crailsheim enters the ninth matchday holding a 7-1 record under coach Florian Flabb, backed by a league-leading defense that surrenders only 68.0 points per contest alongside 9.5 steals. Cologne arrives as a statistical contrast, averaging 84.4 points while conceding 89.3 per game under Zoran Kukic.
Crailsheim sits second in the ProA standings with 14 points, two back of the unbeaten Kreisbau Kirchheim Knights. The Merlins dropped their only game of the season on October 18 against the OrangeAcademy, falling 84-78, before stringing together three consecutive victories over Bremerhaven, Paderborn, and Bochum. Crailsheim farded off a late Bochum surge to secure an 83-80 victory on the road.
Cologne holds a 5-4 record and occupies sixth place after playing nine fixtures. Kukic’s side experienced mixed results recently, including a 105-98 win against Bayreuth, an 87-112 loss to Nürnberg, an 84-81 victory in Ulm, and a 97-76 defeat against the Artland Dragons on November 8, according to Tipsterio. Despite struggles at home where they hold a 1-3 record, the RheinStars have won four of five matches away from home.
Injuries heavily impact the visiting rotation in Ilshofen. Haris Hujic requires a further knee operation that will likely sideline him for the remainder of the season, while managing director Tibor Taras described the setback to Tipsterio as unbelievable bad luck. Center Nat Diallo remains absent with a foot injury after previously averaging 8.3 rebounds, and Konstantin Lehmann suffered a stress fracture in his foot during training.
“Wir haben eine neue Saison, zwei neue Mannschaften und eine neue Situation,” said Kukic, dismissing comparisons to last season’s head-to-head meetings.
Roster Changes and Previous Encounters
Both squads underwent extensive roster overhauls since the previous campaign. During the 2025–26 season, the two teams split their matches, with Cologne taking an 83-81 home win on December 20, 2025, before Crailsheim secured a 99-58 victory on January 17, 2026. Only Cedric Russell Jr. remains from the leading scorers of that January matchup across both club rosters.
Crailsheim rebuilt its roster in the summer by adding 12 new players with the explicit goal of winning promotion. Booker Coplin leads the Merlins with 17.6 points per game, supported by Dylan Addae-Wusu with 12.0 points and Hendrik Drescher with 10.3 points and 5.8 rebounds. Captain Gianni Otto and Simon Krajcovic orchestrate the backcourt, while Courtney Alexander, Luc van Slooten, and Till Isemann provide frontcourt depth.
Cologne relies on Russell with 14.7 points per contest, Antonio Williams with 14.5 points and 4.0 assists, and James Patterson with 12.8 points. Björn Rohwer and 2.16-meter center Osasere Best Otakho must shoulder the rebounding load in the absence of Diallo. Kristopher Monroe added 14 points and eight rebounds in the recent loss to Artland.
How to Watch and Upcoming Fixtures
The fixture tips off at 20:00 local CET on Friday, November 13, 2026, at Arena Hohenlohe, which accommodates approximately 3,000 spectators. No television network is broadcasting the game live, but a digital livestream is available on sporteurope.TV. Following Friday’s contest, Crailsheim travels to face the MLP Academics Heidelberg on Sunday, November 15, at 15:00 local time, while Cologne returns home to host the EPG Baskets Koblenz on Monday evening.
