FC Koln – Hamburg: Preview & Prediction
After reaching a good fifth place last season by adding 49 points (12 wins, 13 draws and nine defeats), the Cologne did not make a good start in the new Bundesliga version. In the opening day, was beaten by Borussia Monchengladbach, as a visitor, by 1 to 0.
The fall can not be considered a surprise, since the team showed throughout the 2016/2017 edition of the German Championship great difficulty when acting out of their domains. Of the 17 matches played, he won only three. In total, with seven draws and seven losses, he added 16 points, which made him the tenth best visitor of the tournament.
The situation was quite different when the team exercised their field command. He accumulated 33 points (nine wins and six draws) in that way, suffering only two defeats at the RheinEnergieStadion.
After a season with two wins and five draws in the friendlies, the Cologne made its first official game by beating away the Leher for the first round of the German Cup. However, the football showed that the team led by Austrian coach Peter Stoger is not yet prepared to take a step further by fighting for positions in the front pack in the standings. Your battle should be even to try to stay in the block that has the right to play the next edition of the Europa League.
Even for this somewhat modest goal, the home factor is considered to be fundamental. For his home debut in the Bundesliga, Stoger probably will not be able to count on goalkeeper Thomas Kesser, midfielder Konstantin Rausch and striker Yuya Osako, who are in recovery treatment for injuries.
The current form of Hamburg
Taking pride in a clock installed in his stadium that marks the time who Hamburg are in the First Division of German football, the team ran serious risks of relegation in recent seasons. In 2016/2017, he only escaped in the last round. The previous year had to play the recap.
The recent flashback has made the victory in the debut of the current season received with relief by the fans. The 1 to 0 mark Augsburg has started that the team can avoid the drama in the final stretch of the German tournament.
To achieve this goal, the board decided to move in the transfer period by acquiring athletes such as Bjarne Thoelke (Karlsruher), Andre Hahn (B. Monchengladbach), Julian Pollersbeck (Kaiserslautern), Gino Van Den Berg (B. Monchengladbach) and Kyriakos Papadopoulos ( Leverkusen).
It created the expectation of a quieter season, with the team positioning comfortably in the middle of the leaderboard. For the first match as a visitor, coach Markus Gisdol has four limitations to set the team to put on the field. The defenders are Mergim Mavraj and Bjarne Thoelke, midfielder Nicolai Muller and striker Pierre-Michel Lasogga.
Of this group, according to German press reports, Lasogga is the most likely to receive the green light from the medical department and be available for the duel. He is an important athlete in the squad, having participated in 20 matches last season. However, he is not a great scorer. He scored just one goal. If it is released, the reservation bank is your most likely destination.
In the previous season, visiting Hamburg could be considered disastrous. The team won only 10 (two wins, four draws and 11 losses) of the 51 points played in that situation. He had the second worst campaign as column two. It depended only on these results, would have been demoted without the right to play the recap.
History of the clashes between Cologne and Hamburg
The home factor was decisive in the clashes between the teams last season. They were three. For the Bundesliga, the Cologne won by 3 to 0. In the second round, lost by 2 to 1 in the opponent’s stadium. For the Cup of Germany, Hamburg also imposed in their domains marking 2 to 0.
FC Koln – Hamburg: Betting Tips
Both teams to score / YES – Odds: 1.95
Under 2,5 goals – Odds: 1.75
