FC Koln vs Mainz prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2023-04-14 13:30.
Steffen Baumgart was the most relieved man in Germany on Saturday, as his Cologne side snapped a winless run of six matches (D2, L4) with victory at Augsburg. The 3-1 success lifted his men eight points clear of the bottom three, but with two of their final three home games coming against current top-five opposition, they will want to leave nothing to chance.
That only makes it all the more important for Cologne to finally get their maiden back-to-back league wins of the campaign. Especially as home fans remain somewhat starved of joy, with the Billy Goats posting four blanks across the last five games at RheinEnergieStadion. This perhaps opens the door for Cologne to be on the wrong end of this fixture’s first-ever league double.
Such an outcome is likely if Mainz perform as they did in October’s reverse clash when they won 5-0 to level the all-time H2H stakes (W13, D9, L13). Just two points behind sixth-placed Leverkusen ahead of the weekend, Mainz also have great momentum from an eight-game unbeaten run (W5, D3), after an extraordinary 2-2 stalemate with Werder Bremen.
Amazingly, that game stood goalless as the clock hit 84’, but Mainz once again showed the sort of stamina that has thrust them into top-six contention, scoring beyond the hour mark for a third straight match. And despite being so leaky thereafter, the aptly-named Carnival Club still have a strong Bundesliga return after netting the opener this term (W11, D3, L1).
Key battle: Cologne midfielder Eric Martel’s maiden Bundesliga strike proved to be the winner at Augsburg back on April 8. But his primary order of business in the Billy Goats’ engine room will be to stop renowned road warrior Marcus Ingvartsen, who has netted decisively in Mainz’s last three away league wins.
Hot streak: Each of Cologne’s previous five matches won or lost have seen the winner lead at half-time.