Sunday’s sole Bundesliga fixture sees FC Koln take on Hoffenheim at RheinEnergieStadion, where the hosts will be looking to make it three wins on the spin. Can they do it? Read on for our free predictions and betting tips.
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Bookmaker Ratings prediction one: Full Time Result – FC Koln to Win – 2.50
Bookmaker Ratings prediction two: Team Goals – FC Koln to Score Over 1.5 Goals – 2.00
FC Koln to Win
If you’re looking for the value play here, then it has to be the home win. OK, Hoffenheim have won three on the bounce, but their overall away form isn’t amazing, while Koln are very solid at home. The hosts collect 2.00 points per game at RheinEnergieStadion, while the visitors have picked up just 1.17 on average on the road. Moreover, Koln have an average expected goal difference of +0.30, which is more than reasonable next to the average xG difference (-0.05) that Hoffenheim currently have on the road. Add in Koln’s recent knack for keeping clean sheets at home and odds of 2.50 start to look very appealing.
FC Koln to Score Over 1.5 Goals
In recent weeks, we haven’t seen Koln score a glut of goals at home, though that doesn’t mean they can’t be menacing. After all, they’ve notched an average of 1.66 goals per 90 minutes in front of their own fans this season, scoring two or more against some decent sides such as Leverkusen and Union Berlin, both of whom currently join themselves and Hoffenheim in the top half. What’s more, the visitors have conceded an average of 1.91 on their travels, conceding two or more in three of their last four.
It’s been a more than reasonable few weeks for the Koln boys, who come into this fixture having lost just one of their last five. Only two of their last eight have ended in defeat, and such a run of results has propelled Sunday’s hosts to a lofty eighth position in the table. All of sudden, with just four points between them and sixth, European football doesn’t seem out of the question.
Since losing to Bayern, Steffen Baumgart’s men have impressed at home, winning 1-0 against both Freiburg and Frankfurt, both of whom currently occupy a place in the top ten. It’s now three wins out of four at home for Koln, as well as three clean sheets. Having shut out the likes of Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Freiburg, they’ll fancy themselves to hold firm on Sunday, even if Hoffenheim do have a good scoring record on the road.
Like Koln, Hoffenheim have ticked along nicely in recent weeks. After regaining the winning thread at home tok Arminia Bielefeld, they kicked on by beating Wolfsburg on the road, and things continued to get better last time out as Sebastian Hoeneß’s men got the better of Wolfsburg. A trio of victories has propelled Sunday’s visitors to a lofty sixth position. They’re now within touching distance of the Champions League spots.
It’s been a mixed bag from the visitors on the road, but they do arrive here off the back of that positive result away against Wolfsburg recently, while they’ve taken points off of sides such as Leverkusen and Freiburg on the road, so this trip to RheinEnergieStadion is likely to frighten them much.
Scoring at something of a rapid rate this season, Koln marksman Anthony Modeste is something of a ‘safe’ bet if ever there was one. The forward has 15 goals to his name already, notching an average of 0.75 goals per 90 minutes, so if you’re searching for a likely scorer, look no further.
Jannes-Kilian Horn is out for the hosts, who otherwise have a clean bill of health. Ermin Bicakcic, Havard Nordtveit and Chris Richards are all expected to miss out for Hoffenheim, who will also be without Robert Skov.
FC Koln: Horn, Schmitz, Kilian, Hubers, Hector, Skhiri, Ozcan, Ljubicic, Uth, Kainz, Andersson.
Hoffenheim: Baumann, Posch, Grillitsch, Hubner, Kaderabek, Baumgartner, Geiger, Kramaric, Raum, Bebou, Rutter.
Mark Uth
Having scored 15 goals, Anthony Modeste gets a lot of the plaudits, but Mark Uth is also key for Koln. The attacking midfielder has chipped in with three goals and three assists, while he carries a threat in general, averaging 0.52 expected goals and assists combined per 90 minutes.
Earlier in the season, Hoffenheim romped to a 5-0 victory against Koln.
This fixture will be played at RheinEnergieStadion.
We recommend checking out both William Hill and Vbet ahead of this fixture.