Do the Sinsheim side stay on course for the Champions League in Cologne?
After three wins in a row, TSG Hoffenheim are still heading for the Champions League. With 40 points from 24 league games, the Sinsheim side are currently “only” sixth in the table, but are level on points with current fourth-placed RB Leipzig. Four points behind them, meanwhile, is 1. FC Köln, who could stake their own claim to Europe with a home win.
However, the Geißböcke’ record against the Sinsheim side is disastrous. The last seven Bundesliga duels in a row were all won by TSG with 25:4 goals. In total, the Baden-Württemberger are unbeaten in eleven league games against the Domstadter, which is why the odds are swinging in the direction of the visitors in the run-up to the game between Cologne and Hoffenheim.
Nevertheless, it has to be said that the Effzeh are very difficult to beat at home in the Rheinenergiestadion. The Cologne team has only lost two of its twelve Bundesliga home games (seven wins, three draws) and thus ranks sixth in the home table. Accordingly, it is advisable to play Cologne vs Hoffenheim tip 2 only with appropriate protection.
Cologne – Statistics & current form
1. FC Köln only just managed to avoid relegation last summer. All the more relieved are all those responsible for the three-time German champions that the word relegation battle remained a foreign word throughout the 2021/22 season.
Instead, the Geißböcke can even dream of a return to international competition. The Effzeh last competed in the group stage of the Europa League in the 2017/18 season. At the moment, Cologne are just four points short of qualifying again.
Won three of last four home games
The success under Steffen Baumgart is also due to the fact that the Geißböcke have once again become a force at home in the Rheinenergiestadion for the new season.
Only two teams have managed to take the three points from Cologne so far – Augsburg (0:2) and Bayern (0:4). In addition, Cologne have already celebrated brilliant home victories such as the 4:1 over arch-rivals Gladbach. The last two games in their own stadium against Freiburg (1:0) and Frankfurt (1:0) both brought victory. All in all, there are currently three wins on record in the last four home games.
No win against Hoffenheim for eleven league games
What has not improved under Steffen Baumgart, however, is the poor record against the Sinsheim side. In the first leg in the Kraichgau, the Geißböcke suffered a crushing 5-0 defeat, meaning they have not won against TSG for eleven league games in a row.
Cologne’s likely line-up:
Schwäbe – Hector – Chabot – Kilian – Schmitz – Skhiri – Özcan – Kainz – Uth – Ljubicic – Modeste
Last matches played by Köln:
1st Bundesliga
02/26 2022 – Greuther Fürth 1 – 1 1. FC Köln
02/19 2022 – 1. FC Köln 1 – 0 Eintracht Frankfurt
02/11 2022 – RB Leipzig 3 – 1 1. FC Köln
02/05 2022 – 1. FC Köln 1 – 0 SC Freiburg
Friendly club matches
01/27 2022 – 1. FC Köln 2 – 2 Schalke 04
Hoffenheim – Statistics & current form
The TSG Hoffenheim experienced several ups and downs in the 2021/22 season, with the last few weeks in particular also impressively reflecting the occasional lack of consistency. After a small series with seven league games in a row without defeat, TSG first lost four competitive games in a row.
And then, when a place in the European Champions League seemed increasingly out of reach, the team from Kraichgau once again managed three wins in a row, which has now resulted in 40 points and sixth place.
Last seven victories in a row against Cologne
This means the Blue and Whites still have every chance of perhaps even making it into the Champions League.
Finally, with RB Leipzig and Freiburg, two direct rivals will face each other on matchday 25, both of whom are also on 40 points.
If there is even a draw in this duel, Hoffenheim could advance to laughing third with an away win in Cologne and conquer fourth place. In addition to their strong form, the aforementioned record against the Effzeh also speaks in favour of this. The last seven league games against Cologne have all been won with 25:4 goals.
Six of the twelve away games lost
All in all, the club from Baden-Württemberg has more victories to its name after just 24 matchdays than in the entire previous season. In view of this strength of form, the betting on an away win for the Sinsheim side against Hoffenheim is correspondingly good.
However, the match will not be a foregone conclusion. Although TSG are sixth in the Bundesliga away table, they have already lost six of the twelve away games in the 2021/22 season, conceding a total of 23 goals.
Predicted line-up of Hoffenheim:
Baumann – Samassekou – Hübner – Grillitsch – Posch – Raum – Kaderabek – Kramaric – Baumgartner – Rutter – Bebou
Last matches played by Hoffenheim:
1st Bundesliga
02/25 2022 – Hoffenheim 2 – 1 VfB Stuttgart
02/19 2022 – Vfl Wolfsburg 1 – 2 Hoffenheim
02/13 2022 – Hoffenheim 2 – 0 Arminia Bielefeld
02/05 2022 – Mainz 05 2 – 0 Hoffenheim
01/22 2022 – Hoffenheim 2 – 3 Borussia Dortmund
Cologne – Hoffenheim Direct comparison / H2H balance
Head to head: 8 – 6 – 12
There have been a total of 26 meetings between the two teams so far and TSG lead the direct comparison with twelve victories. The Sinsheim side, who also won the first leg convincingly 5-0, are unbeaten in eleven Bundesliga encounters with the Geißböcken (eight wins, three draws).
Cologne – Hoffenheim tip
Of course, the prediction for Cologne against Hoffenheim has to take into account the recent very one-sided record as well as the even more one-sided first leg. The Effzeh now have their home crowd behind them and can put a strong home record on the line. However, the momentum is in favour of the visitors from Kraichgau, who have won a total of eight of their last 13 league games and recently celebrated three victories in a row.
