1899 Hoffenheim will take on FC Koln at their PreZero Arena on May 27, 2020 as round 28 of the German Bundesliga hits action.
Hoffenheim and Koln are separated by only two points in the 2020 Bundesliga table with the home side currently in 9th place with 36 points and the visitors right behind them with a total of 34 points earned. Hoffenheim won the last meeting between these two teams 2-1 last 08.11.2019 while Koln took the last meeting at this venue 6-0 on 31.03.2018.
Hoffenheim has been one of the teams competing for Top 4 spots in the Bundesliga in recent seasons but this term, they have not been as good. Hoffenheim has not won in their last eight matches, including their first two assignments after the coronavirus suspension. They are still three spots and just three points away from the last Europa League spot but if they can finish strong, they still have a chance.
In their last outing, Hoffenheim figures in a 1-1 draw against the league’s bottom team SC Paderborn. They controlled 62% of the possession time, got eight shots at goal, earned seven corner kicks, and were 87% accurate with their passes. Despite playing better, Hoffenheim could not get a win against the worst team in the league.
Andrej Kramaric leads the team with a total of seven goals while Sargis Adamyan and Robert Skov have scored five and four goals, respectively. Skov and fellow midfielder Pavel Kaderavek each have four assists to pace Hoffenheim.
At it stands, Hoffenheim is currently in 9th place in the 2020 Bundesliga 1 table. They have earned a total of 36 points and have found the back of the net in 36 instances but have also conceded a total of 47 goals on the season. They have 10 wins, 6 draws, and 11 losses in 27 games played this season.
FC Koln was in good form before the stoppage of Bundesliga action. The team has scored at least one goal in its last 15 matches but they have not won in their last three assignments while conceding a total of six goals during that stretch. In their last outing last weekend, Cologne staged a come-from-behind run that enabled them to salvage a point against Fortuna Dusseldorf.
FC Koln controlled 61% of ball possession against Fortuna. They also had six shots on goal and six corner kicks while completing 79% of their passes. However, they trailed 0-1 at the half and were down 0-2 with only half an hour left on the clock. But they pressured Fortuna into giving up two goals in the final five minutes of action to force a 2-2 tie, their second 2-2 score in as many matches since the resumption of play.
Cologne now has a total of 34 points earned in 27 matches and are currently in 10th place in the Bundesliga table. They rank sixth in the league with a total of 43 goals scored while also allowing a total of 49 goals which ranks them 12th overall. FC Koln is just two points off Hoffenheim in the team standings.
Jhon Cordoba leads the team with a total of 11 goals scored this term. Sebastiaan Bornauw and Mark Uth each have contributed five goals for Cologne. Florian Kainz paces FC Koln with six assists while also scoring three goals. Uth and Dominick Drexler also have four assists each.
Hoffenheim will be without Andrej Kramaric, Sargis Adamyan, Ishak Belfodil, and Kostas Stafylidis for Cologne’s midweek visit. Munas Dabbur could start for the squad due to their hectic schedule. Dabbur successfully returned to action last week while coming off as a substitute.
Kevin Akpoguma did not play for Hoffenheim in their draw against Paderborn but the German could feature alongside Benjamin Hubner and Stefan Posch in the heart of the Hoffenheim defense.
On the other side of the field, Koln will most likely feature forward Jhon Cordoba who scored his team-best 11th Bundesliga goal in their last outing. Dominick Drexler, who had a pair of assists in Cologne’s draw against Dusseldorf also looks like a cinch to make the starting XI.
With centre-back Rafael Czichos still on the sidelines, Toni Leistner will likely be a part of the Koln defense for the second straight week. Marcel Risse will still be out of action for Koln while Niklas Hauptmann is doubtful for this away match against the league’s 9th ranked side.
Both teams are looking for their first victory since the Bundesliga resumed action from the pandemic suspension.
Last season’s Bundesliga 2 champions have shown decent form away from home. Cologne has three wins, one draw, and two losses in their last six road assignments. Hoffenheim has taken the last three matches against FC Koln but with the key players they are missing, I think that the visitors have the advantage here. I have FC Koln taking all three points on Wednesday.
Prediction: FC Koln (+175)
Koln’s offense hasn’t been as good as fans expected. They have not won a game in their last eight matches. Their games have been low scoring with only two out of their last games producing more than 2.5 goals. However, both teams have scored in three out of those five matches. Koln’s last two matches have yielded similar 2-2 scores. Their last five games have produced more than 2.5 goals from both sides while four out of those five games saw both teams score at least one goal. Likewise, four out of Koln’s last five games have seen both sides score at least one goal.
Prediction: Bet on Yes on “Both Teams to Score” (-225) at Bet365.
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