The Alm is no longer a fortress

We remember earlier times when it was no gift for any Bundesliga team to have to play at the cramped Bielefeld Alm. Given the passion Arminia display in their own stadium, that may still be the case, but as a rule, opponents always take something countable with them, at least at the end of the day.

Mainly because things are not going well at home, the East Westphalians are in a direct relegation place after 13 matchdays, namely 17th. Because Greuther Fürth are somehow running out of competition, Arminia are something of a shooting light. They have only nine points so far. This means that they are already four points behind the relegation place and also four points behind the relegation zone.

Arminia will therefore remain in 17th place after this weekend. The goal must be to close the gap. Things are going a little better for the Geißböcken. The Rhinelanders are in tenth place and have twice as many points as Arminia. Therefore, the first prediction in the match between Bielefeld and Cologne could well go in the direction of the guests.

Historically speaking, there will definitely be goals on Saturday. This match has been played 26 times in the Bundesliga to date and has never ended goalless. But that doesn’t mean that there will be many goals scored either.

Bielefeld – Statistics & current form

These are the weeks of truth for Arminia Bielefeld and possibly also for coach Frank Kramer. One after the other, the direct duels against Cologne, Hertha BSC and VfL Bochum are on the agenda. The relegation battle is on. If the desired results are not achieved, Frank Kramer’s days in Bielefeld could come to an end before Christmas.

Winless on the Alm

Even when you have to play at home on the Alm, you should not be too optimistic as a Bielefeld fan. The East Westphalians have been waiting for a win in their own arena for eight games this season. In fact, there has only been one three-pointer this season, so we do not recommend playing the odds on a home win in the match between Bielefeld and Cologne.

Last weekend, Arminia Bielefeld put in a strong performance but ended up without any points. However, they were beaten by record champions Bayern Munich by the narrowest of margins. It must be said, however, that the 0:1 score was somewhat flattering.

In terms of personnel, things are looking very good for the East Westphalians at the moment. Sebastian Vasiliadis is in domestic isolation, but otherwise Frank Kramer can draw on a full complement of players on Saturday. Therefore, it is conceivable that Edimilson Fernandes or Fabian Kunze will slide into the team for Vasiliadis. Jacob Laursen is a possible alternative to Andres Andrade at left-back.

Predicted line-up of Bielefeld:
Ortega Moreno – Brunner, Pieper, Nilsson, Andrade – Prietl, Kunze – Wimmer, Schöpf, Okugawa – Klos – Coach: Kramer

Last matches played by Bielefeld:

1st Bundesliga
11/27 2021 – Bayern Munich 1 – 0 Arminia Bielefeld

11/20 2021 – Arminia Bielefeld 2 – 2 Vfl Wolfsburg

11/06 2021 – VfB Stuttgart 0 – 1 Arminia Bielefeld

10/30 2021 – Arminia Bielefeld 1 – 2 Mainz 05
DFB Cup
10/26 2021 – Mainz 05 3 – 2 Arminia Bielefeld

Cologne – Statistics & current form

It was obviously a good decision by Steffen Baumgart to sign on with 1. FC Köln. He has already celebrated as many victories in the top flight with the Geißböcken as he did in the entire 2019/20 Bundesliga season with SC Paderborn. However, the demands in the cathedral city are also significantly higher. The current snapshot is, however, definitely in order.

Harmless away from home

While Bielefeld have forgotten how to win at home, Cologne are rather harmless away from home. The Effzeh have not won away from home in seven games. So while we would hardly bet on the East Westphalians, there’s not much to be said for predicting a win for the visitors in the clash between Bielefeld and Cologne either.

Last weekend, however, the Geißböcken managed to pull off quite a feat. In the Rhineland derby against Borussia Mönchengladbach, they managed a 4:1 home victory, which, however, turned out to be higher than the game actually indicated. Dejan Ljubicic for 1:0 and Mark Uth, Ondrej Duda and Sebastian Andersson after the intermediate equaliser scored the goals for the Effzeh.

The Geißböcke thus proved once again that they are extremely goal-hungry in the second period. 18 of 22 goals of the season were scored in the second half. Steffen Baumgart has a few absentees to lament on Saturday. Jonas Hector and Timo Horn in particular will be sorely missed.

Cologne’s likely line-up:
Schwäbe – Schindler, Kilian, Czichos, Schmitz – Özcan, Skhiri – Ljubicic, Duda, Kainz – Modeste – Coach: Baumgart

Last matches played by Köln:

1st Bundesliga
11/27 2021 – 1. FC Köln 4 – 1 Borussia Mönchengladbach

11/21 2021 – Mainz 05 1 – 1 1. FC Köln

Club friendlies
11/10 2021 – 1. FC Köln 4 – 0 Paderborn

1st Bundesliga
11/07 2021 – 1. FC Köln 2 – 2 Union Berlin

10/30 2021 – Borussia Dortmund 2 – 0 1. FC Köln

Bielefeld – Cologne Direct Comparison / H2H Balance

35 times the teams of Arminia Bielefeld and 1. FC Köln have faced each other so far. In the direct comparison, the Geißböcke have done slightly better with 18:14 victories. There have only been three draws between these two opponents. The East Westphalians have won the last four Bundesliga home games against the Effzeh.

No other Bundesliga team has won more matches in the top flight than Arminia against the Rhinelanders. Last season, Bielefeld won 1-0 at home, but Cologne took revenge in the return match with a 3-1 home victory. Marius Wolf scored a brace and Elvis Rexhbecaj scored for Cologne. Sergio Cordova only scored the consolation goal.

Bielefeld – Cologne tip

There are many indications that the match between Arminia Bielefeld and 1. FC Köln will not find a winner. The East Westphalians have not won in their own stadium for eight home games, the Cologne team has been waiting for a victory for seven away games. Both series have been going on since last season.

However, the statistics are more in favour of Arminia, who have won four times in a row at home against the Effzeh. On the other hand, the momentum with the current form speaks in favour of the guests. If we lump these two facts together again, we come to the conclusion that a tip on a draw is once again the best choice in the Bielefeld vs. Cologne match.

Never before have the two clubs parted with a goalless draw in the top flight. That would mean that a 0:0 could be out of the question. However, we think a 1:1 is possible. Although we don’t expect that many goals at all, we think even a 2:2 is conceivable. That is why we have decided to play the betting odds on a score split between Bielefeld and Cologne.