Will Cologne keep up with their fearsome opponents?
It’s been a long time since 1. FC Köln was as euphoric as it is right now. It seems as if Steffen Baumgart as the new coach is exactly the piece of the puzzle that was missing to be able to offer successful football in the cathedral city again. The Geißböcke are currently in sixth place and have only conceded one defeat after seven matchdays.
If a bet on the visitors pays off on Friday evening in the matchday 8 opener between Hoffenheim and Cologne, they could possibly even climb to a Champions League place for one night. This would give an additional boost to the already enormous mood of optimism. However, the undertaking in Kraichgau will by no means be easy.
Before the encounter between Hoffenheim and Cologne, it should be taken into account that the TSG have been unbeaten against the Rhinelanders for ten Bundesliga games. The last six direct encounters alone have all gone to the Sinsheim side, who are certainly keen to make amends after their bitter 3-1 defeat in Stuttgart before the international break. Given the interesting omens in this match, a bet on the three-way market is not our first option.
Germany Hoffenheim – Statistics & current form
After seven games, TSG Hoffenheim are in the grey midfield of the standings. Those responsible will certainly not be one hundred percent satisfied with the yield of two wins, two draws and already three defeats. Especially in view of the fact that half of the eight points collected were already on the account after two match days.
A major shortcoming, as in the previous year, is the lack of consistency Positive performances, such as the 3:1 win against VfL Wolfsburg in the last home match, alternate with disappointing performances with regularity. One of the worst days for the Sinsheim side came before the international break, for example, when they deservedly lost 3-1 at VfB Stuttgart.
Favourite opponent Cologne
The team of coach Sebastian Hoeneß has a lot planned for the upcoming Friday evening match against the cathedral city. They want to make amends. In purely statistical terms, the Kraichgauer have exactly the right opponent waiting for them, because TSG have never had a longer winning streak against any other opponent than they currently have against the “Effzeh”. The Blue and Whites have recently had the upper hand six times in a row in direct duels.
If we take this interesting series as a yardstick for the upcoming clash, it is virtually out of the question to play the odds on an away win between Hoffenheim and Cologne. However, due to the aforementioned fluctuations in form, we would not want to commit to a home win either.
Is the dangerous offence again at the expense of the defence?
Instead, there is a lot to be said for both teams getting a goal. 1899 have always conceded at least one goal in their last six Bundesliga home games, but at the same time provide the best offence in the bottom half of the table with twelve goals scored. In four of the seven games with TSG participation, a bet on “both hit” would have been crowned with success.
In addition to the long-term injuries to Bicakcic, Hübner, John and Nordtveidt, there is also a question mark over the use of Chris Richards, as he was still on duty for the American national team on Wednesday night. Should the Bayern loanee be absent, Posch or Akpoguma would be available as alternatives.
Predicted line-up of Hoffenheim:
Baumann – Kaderabek, C. Richards, Vogt, Raum – Geiger, Samassekou – Baumgartner, Kramaric, Adamyan – Bebou
Last matches played by Hoffenheim:
Germany Cologne – Statistics & current form
1. FC Köln have made an extremely promising start to the season in the Bundesliga. Sixth in the table, the Rhinelanders have only conceded one defeat, and that was a very narrow 2:3 at the record champions in Munich.
The “Effzeh” has now been unbeaten for five league games. Incidentally, this is the longest run since the turn of the year 2016/17, when the Cathedral City side went six consecutive games without a defeat under the management of Peter Stöger.
For the impressive run to continue on Friday evening, however, it will require the end of another series at the same time. None of the past ten Bundesliga encounters against the Kraichgauer has been victorious. Only against FC Bayern have the Geißböcke waited longer for a victory than against TSG.
Will Sinsheim remain a bad place for the billy goats?
In addition, the ambitious Rhinelanders have not conceded more goals on average against any other current first division team than against 1899 (2.15 goals). This is one of the reasons why we are convinced that the odds on both sides to score will pay off in the duel between Hoffenheim and Cologne. Previous impressions serve as an additional argument, as the “BTS” would have gone through in all seven Bundesliga matches involving Baumgart’s eleven.
Despite all the euphoria, it should not be forgotten that the sixth-placed is still waiting for its first win away from home this season In addition to the aforementioned 2:3 defeat against Bayern, Modeste and Co. fought their way to a 1-1 draw in Frankfurt and Freiburg. We wouldn’t rule out a similar result for the Bundesliga opener on matchday 8
Due to injury, Skhiri, who has been in good form lately, will not be able to play. Ljubicic and Jannes Horn are also unavailable. Thus, Salih Özcan should get his chance from the start on the six position in Baumgart’s diamond. In the half positions, youngsters Thielmann and Duda will duel for the place next to Kainz.
Predicted line-up of Cologne:
T. Horn – Schmitz, Jorge Meré, Czichos, Hector – Özcan – Thielmann, Kainz – Uth – Modeste, Andersson
Last matches played by Köln:
Hoffenheim – Cologne Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
Total of 43 goals scored by TSG Hoffenheim in 20 Bundesliga matches against 1. FC Köln so far. More than against any other club from Germany’s top flight. The Cathedral City side have not won any of the last ten direct encounters in the top flight; the most recent six encounters have all been lost.
Last year, they suffered a 3-0 defeat at the PreZero Arena. Before that, bets on both sides to score would have been correct in five of the previous eight encounters. Consequently, a similar prediction is also close on Friday between Hoffenheim and Cologne.
United Kingdom Hoffenheim – Cologne United Kingdom Tip
After an eventful international break, the ball will start rolling again in the Bundesliga next Friday. The eighth matchday will open with the interesting encounter between Hoffenheim and Cologne. According to the betting odds, the home side are the favourites, which is surprising in view of the standings.
While the home side is stuck in the grey midfield, Cologne is in a remarkable sixth place. However, the Rhinelanders have not won any of their three matches away from home. Moreover, a typical fearful opponent now awaits in the form of TSG, who have not been defeated in ten consecutive attempts.
Our first tendency therefore goes in the direction of the double chance 1X. Combine this recommendation with the addition that both teams score at least once. On the one hand, the teams have already scored twelve and 13 goals respectively so far this season. On the other hand, the statistics also suggest that the ball will cross the goal line once or twice. In all seven of Cologne’s games, the bet would have been on “both to score”.
In the Hoffenheim vs. Cologne clash, we therefore play the tip on 1X & Both score
