Hoffenheim vs FC Koln prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2024-02-10 16:30.
Hoffenheim failed to grab an opportunity to climb to seventh place in the Bundesliga last weekend as they let a lead slip twice to eventually draw 2-2 against Wolfsburg, cementing a dire six-game winless run of league games (D3, L3). They entered this round five points outside of the European places and could yet have a say in the upper echelons of the table if only they can get their form back on track.
Doing that at home isn’t exactly a given as Hoffenheim have picked up just nine of their 26-point haul at home (W2, D3, L4), more than just two other sides ahead of the round. In fact, the disparity between Hoffenheim’s home points per game (1.0) and away (1.55) is greater than any side in the division, an issue they must address if they are to achieve their first top-six finish since 2019/20.
Fighting at the other end of the table are Cologne, who just ended their own six-game winless run with a shock 2-0 victory over Frankfurt. They remain in the bottom three, but with just six points separating 13th from Cologne in 16th ahead of the round, a positive run of form could soon see that gap evaporate, though it must be noted that this remains Cologne’s worst Bundesliga showing after 20 rounds since their last relegation-bound season in 2017/18.
Playing away poses its own problems, as the Billy Goats have only managed to get the better of rock-bottom Darmstadt on their Bundesliga travels this season (W1, D3, L6). Five of the six defeats during the aforementioned run saw Cologne concede at least twice, just as they have in five of the last six away H2H encounters in Hoffenheim (W1, L5).
Players to watch: Hoffenheim’s 21-year-old starlet Maximilian Beier (G8, A1) was nominated for the Bundesliga Rookie of the Month for January after hitting more shots at goal than any of his teammates (ten). As for Cologne, Dejan Ljubicic should travel here with confidence after his brace of assists last weekend. Notably, each of his last 12 scoring appearances for his club also saw the opposition of the day score.
Hot stat: Only Union Berlin (11) failed to score in more Bundesliga games than Cologne’s nine ahead of the round.