Bundesliga: Can Cologne Snap Their Drought Against Hoffenheim?

TSG Hoffenheim vs Koln

Hoffenheim will look to get back on their feet as they host FC Koln at the PreZero Arena on Wednesday evening in their next Bundesliga home match.

Only two points separate between these two clubs. Hoffenheim are currently at ninth place with 36 points while FC Koln are right behind them at the 10^th place with 34 points in the updated standings.

Both of them are also coming off from draws last weekend upon checking last weekend’s Bundesliga 2020 results.

Against Paderborn, Die Kraichgauer quickly jumped to a 1-0 but it was extinguished right away when the home team scored five minutes later.

As for Koln, they had to muster a stirring comeback when they were down 0-2 to draw level against Fortuna Dusseldorf at home through the late-game efforts by Anthony Modeste and Jhon Cordoba.

While both have been underwhelming since the league’s restart after the mandated break, saving a point from last week is already a good thing for both of these teams.

Neither are heavily favoured in our Bundesliga 2020 betting odds, so SBOBET football fans might be in for a huge treat in this one.

But before we get into the actual match, let’s take a look on both of these teams.

Talking Points

Hoffenheim desperate to regain their form

Die Kraichgauer could have been in a much better place coming into this match if they were able to win against Paderborn during their last match.

They started off on a great note when Robert Skov scored a sublime goal in just under five minutes thanks to a beautiful pass by Pavel Kaderabek.

However, disaster struck in the ninth minute when Hoffenheim’s defence failed to clear the ball which opened a rare opportunity for Dennis Srbeny to register his fifth goal of the season.

And after that mishap, Hoffenheim failed to generate any viable chances all throughout the match.

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Bundesliga

Even with an injury-ravaged roster, Alfred Schreuder’s men cannot afford these kinds of slip-ups especially as they try to punch above their weight in pursuit of an Europa League slot.

They are still missing the likes of Sargis Adamyan, Ishak Belfodil, Kostas Stafylidis, and Andrej Kramaric due to various injuries and they will remain out for this Wednesday’s matchup.

Christoph Baumgartner will have to step it up especially after a lacklustre performance last time around, and he should be able to capitalise in their next few matches. Meanwhile, Munas Dabbur might make his way to the starting XI after a three-game absence.

Koln in search for a breakthrough

Sitting at 10^th is considered a good thing already for Cologne, but can Markus Gisdol’s men go beyond expectations?

Encouraging signs from last week’s tiff against Fortuna may leave their fans slightly hopeful.

They were able to salvage a point despite being down for the most part thanks to timely goals by Jhon Cordoba and Anthony Modeste.

Cordoba in particular has been the Billy Goat’s main man. The Colombian striker has already notched 11 goals this season and he will be the marked man for Hoffenheim’s backline.

Anthony Modeste and Jhon Cordoba look to work together in scoring goals for Koln to defeat TSG Hoffenheim in Bundesliga — Koln’s Jhon Cordoba in action against Borussia Dortmund during their Bundesliga match at the RheinEnergieStadion

The Billy Goats are actually decent on the road as they’ve won three, drawn one, and lost twice in their last six outings.

With them having a better goal difference over Hoffenheim and Schalke, a few wins here and there could have them sneaking in to the eighth spot at the table.

History

Die Kraichgauer have gotten the better of the Billy Goats in their last few encounters, having won each of the last three meetings along with finding the back of the net 11 times.

The said win streak includes two dominating home victories at the PreZero Arena – scoring 10 goals while conceding none.

Hoffenheim players such as Andrej Kramaric, Benjamin Hubner, Pavel Kaderabek, and Havard Nordtveit are all undefeated against Koln in their careers as of this writing.

Cologne team manager Markus Gisdol has had a huge part in retooling Hoffenheim during the past few seasons. He was Die Kraichgauer’s boss from 2013 to 2015 and he saved the team from being relegated on his first term there.

Betting Tip

	TSG Hoffenheim vs Koln	Draw 1×2 @ 3.40
	May 28, 2:30 (GMT+8)

The 1×2 market points this upcoming game to be a highly-contested one as Hoffenheim are pegged at 2.44 and FC Koln are at 2.75.

But despite Hoffenheim’s dominance over the Billy Goats in the past few seasons, I would lean towards a draw at 3.40 in the 1×2 market because of the home team’s depleted roster.

Without two of Hoffenheim’s top forwards in Andrej Kramaric and Ishak Belfodil, the home team no longer has the quality luxury over the Billy Goats.

Either team can come away with a win in this game. So Bundesliga aficionados should definitely keep this game in mind as they tune in for the next league matchday.