FC Koln – Schalke : Preview & Prediction
Cologne general manager Christian Keller used an expletive to describe their German Cup first-round exit to former club Jahn Regensburg at the end of July. That disastrous result was compounded by a pelvis injury to star striker Anthony Modeste that threatened to keep him out of their opening day clash against Bundesliga returnees Schalke.
As one of only two clubs (along with Leipzig) to concede 20 or fewer goals in the first half of last season’s Bundesliga campaign, finding themselves 2-0 down before halftime against second-division opposition was an uncharacteristic start for Cologne. Still, coach Steffen Baumgart should be confident of opening the season with a big home win, just as he did during last season – he beat both newly promoted clubs in 2021/22 when it was his turn to play at home.
There were no such problems last weekend for Schalke, who were last season’s second division champions after equaling their biggest DFB-Pokal win of the last decade with a big 5-0 thrashing of lower-tier opposition Bremer. Schalke will hope for a sense of continuity as they make the transition back to the top flight, as interim coach Mike Büskens returns to an assistant role for the experienced Frank Kramer to take over.
The team with the best attack in the 2. Bundesliga last season, Kramer has looked to bolster his defense with the additions of Maya Yoshida and Cédric Brunner, both of whom should be starters at the start of this season. Kramer will no doubt be hoping that his new defensive duo can help drastically improve the 2.53 goals conceded per game that Schalke conceded in the 2019/20 season, a campaign in which they came close to recording the longest winless streak in Bundesliga history.
Players to watch: Returning to the Bundesliga from Belgium, Cologne’s Sargis Adamyan has seen his eight goals in Germany’s top flight arrive after the break. Meanwhile, Schalke’s new striker Sebastian Polter scored in nine games during last season’s Bundesliga season with Bochum and the team won six of them.
Key stat: Only Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund had a better win rate as pre-match favorites at home than Cologne’s 73% (G8, E1, P2) during the last Bundesliga season.
FC Koln – Schalke : Betting Tips
FC Koln – Win Odds: 1.85
