Köln will want to reward their effort

The match between Cologne and Augsburg could well be an interesting one. Cologne have been taking an interesting, forceful and at times frantic approach this season, Augsburg have had the odd decent performance in recent weeks but lack consistency here

Ahead of the Cologne vs. Augsburg match, the odds show the hosts as favourites going into the game against. A win for the cathedral cities would be important to be able to clearly distance themselves from the lower regions of the table. That is the primary goal for this season.

With only three games left until the winter break, it’s all about mobilising the last forces for both. This match is the opener of matchday 15 and will consequently kick off on Friday evening at 20:30.

Cologne – Statistics & current form

The hosts from Cologne are not playing a weak season, on the contrary. Coach Steffen Baumgart has breathed life into the team, lets them play actively and furiously forward, with all the advantages and disadvantages. Cologne often manages to annoy an opponent, but in recent weeks has too rarely managed to defeat one. And so the Effzeh is currently somewhere in the midfield of the table, in ninth place to be precise.

23 goals are a good value, 23 goals conceded at the present time rather not. Cologne can play an opponent very well, but the balance is sometimes missing. This can be explained by the high energy that has to be expended on Baumgart’s game. The last percent of determination is sometimes missing in the head when it comes to switching to the defence. Cologne have yet to go without conceding a goal in this Bundesliga season. Nevertheless, the odds before the match between Cologne and Augsburg show that the home side are favourites going into the game.

Just recently, they won the Rhineland derby against their rivals from Mönchengladbach 4:1. Such performances and results are an incentive. In Bielefeld, on the other hand, the last game, Cologne could not go to its own performance limit and was very well served with the 1:1. So the team is not yet managing to show its good face in every game.

Cologne want to break the 20-point mark with a home win

A win would lift the hosts above the 20-point mark. Normally, they say, 40 points is surely enough to stay in the league, but this season it might be a little less. To have already reached half of that number after 15 games would suggest that Cologne can get close to their goal, i.e. sovereign class preservation, very early on in a normal course of the season. But caution is called for, since the “Effzeh” has been waiting for a home win against Augsburg for six home games.

Nevertheless, Steffen Baumgart said before the game: “If we put our performance on the pitch against Augsburg, we have a good chance of winning the game. We want to confirm our home strength against a good team…” And indeed, Cologne have won four games at home and have not lost a single match. Away from home, however, the club is still completely without a win.

This home strength can become a decisive factor. For this reason, our prediction before the match between Cologne and Augsburg is that the series will be maintained and that the hosts will be able to celebrate the three points in the end.

Predicted line-up of Cologne:
Schwäbe – Schmitz, Czichos, Kilian, Hector – Skhiri, Özcan, Duda, Uth, Kainz – Modeste

Last matches played by Köln:

1st Bundesliga
12/04 2021 – Arminia Bielefeld 1 – 1 1. FC Köln

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

Augsburg – Statistics & current form

Augsburg FC have pulled themselves out of a bit of a deep hole in recent weeks, winning against FC Bayern Munich among others. The home win not only gave confidence, but also gave Markus Weinzierl, the coach, a chance to take a breath. A last-minute 1-1 against Hertha BSC followed, before Augsburg slept through the first half against Bochum and lost 3-2.

This makes the problem relatively clear. Good games are often followed by weaker ones, consistency is completely lacking. That’s why Augsburg are only in the relegation zone. Away from home, Augsburg has often lost ground. In seven games away from home, for example, FCA scored only three goals, which is too few.

Augsburg’s away weakness is a problem

It’s not just the offence that’s a problem, the overall record in away games is also a cause for concern. The Fuggerstädter have failed to win 13 away games in a row. Ending this streak would be significant, because it is followed by a tough home game against RB Leipzig.

In general, staying in the league is of course the big goal and still achievable. However, Markus Weinzierl must find solutions to help the team achieve more consistency, that is clear. In addition, the defensive problems have become less severe, at least in terms of personnel, with one or two players returning.

Nevertheless, the constant away weakness masks the few good moments this season. Therefore, before the Cologne vs. Augsburg match, our tip is that the hosts will decide the match in their favour.

Predicted line-up of Augsburg:
Gikiewicz – Gumny, Gouweleeuw, Uduokhai, Iago – Dorsch, Gruezo, Maier, Vargas, Caligiuri – Niederlechner

Last matches played by Augsburg:

1st Bundesliga
12/04 2021 – Augsburg 2 – 3 Vfl Bochum

11/27 2021 – Hertha Berlin 1 – 1 Augsburg

11/19 2021 – Augsburg 2 – 1 Bayern Munich

11/06 2021 – Vfl Wolfsburg 1 – 0 Augsburg

10/31 2021 – Augsburg 4 – 1 VfB Stuttgart

Cologne – Augsburg Direct comparison / H2H balance

Cologne and Augsburg have met in 19 matches so far. With seven wins, Augsburg have a slight advantage on their own side, five games went to Cologne. Seven games ended in a draw. In the pre-season, there were two away victories, and Cologne have scored more goals (21) than Augsburg (20) overall.

Cologne – Augsburg Tip

Cologne are favourites ahead of their home match against Augsburg. The hosts are not in ideal form, but have ended many games with a draw. Augsburg are relatively weak, especially away from home, which could come to the fore once again in this match.

Köln can perform well against any team with their typical, bulky play and put any defensive line under pressure. Moreover, the hosts celebrated all their wins of the season at home. Therefore, our tip before the Cologne vs. Augsburg match is that the Cologne team will win at home this time as well.