FC Koln vs Wolfsburg prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2023-08-25 13:30.
Cologne manager Steffen Baumgart was left âmore than satisfiedâ with his sideâs performance in their 1-0 opening day defeat against Borussia Dortmund. The Billy Goatsâ resistance held out until the 88th minute of that clash, but after having amassed twice as many shots on target as their illustrious opponents, itâs fair to suggest they were unlucky to leave Signal Iduna Park empty handed.
Theyâll now return to the RheinEnergieStadion looking to avoid losing successive Bundesliga matches without scoring for just the second time since February 2021, but that looks a tricky task against a Wolfsburg side they have a fairly miserable top-flight H2H record against (W8, D10, L16). Given Cologne have never scored in a home H2H under Baumgartâs stewardship (L2), theyâll need to find their shooting boots to open their account for 2023/24 here.
Wolfsburg boss Niko KovaÄ also employed the word âsatisfiedâ to describe his sideâs opening day exploits as they cruised to a routine 2-0 victory over newly-promoted Heidenheim. A smooth start to the season is exactly what the Wolves needed after missing out on European qualification on the final day last term, as well as losing key players Micky van de Ven and Felix Nmecha over the summer.
Ending their two-season hiatus from continental competition will be top of KovaÄâs agenda this term and theyâll have every chance of doing just that if their superb away record from 2022/23 can be maintained. Only four sides in the division won more points on the road than Wolfsburgâs 24, a haul that included a 2-0 victory at Cologne in February.
Players to watch: Cologne playmaker Florian Kainz has directly contributed to five goals in nine H2Hs, including a goal and two assists in a 4-2 win at Wolfsburg last season. The visitors were powered by a Jonas Wind brace on the opening day, and each of his last six club goalscoring appearances have seen his side win âto nilâ.
Hot stat: Across the last nine H2Hs, seven have featured at least two total goals.