FC Koln vs Union Berlin prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2024-05-10 13:30.
[p]It’s crunch time for Cologne, who must win both of their final two Bundesliga games and potentially a promotion-relegation playoff afterwards if they’re to have any chance of staying up! Anything short of victory for the home side here will keep visitors Union Berlin safe from automatic relegation with a game to spare, whilst also confirming the end of Cologne’s five season stay in Germany’s top flight. [/p]
[p]The thought of Cologne salvaging survival is now borderline fanciful as no side in Bundesliga history has closed a gap as large as Cologne’s five points to 16th place this late in the season. The current gloom around the club is partly thanks to a run of just one win from their last 12 league games (D6, L5), whilst four of the last five defeats in that sequence came with multi-goal margins.[/p]
[p]It was the end of the line for Union’s Croatian manager during the week, as Nenad Bjelica was dismissed after their 4-3 defeat against Bochum left them just one point above the bottom three. That defeat bookended the Bundesliga’s longest active winless run (D2, L4), a negative streak which interim boss Marco Grote must now address in what is actually his second caretaker stint in the same season, as he oversaw a 1-1 draw with Augsburg in November.[/p]
[p]Whilst Union had improved year-on-year since their maiden Bundesliga season back in 2019/20, this time around the Iron Ones swapped the heady heights of the Champions League placings for a relegation battle. On the cusp of extending their stay, Union should be brimming with confidence ahead of their visit to Cologne, as the managerless men boast an ongoing 11-game unbeaten run of H2Hs (W8, D3). [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Faride Alidou could prove influential for Cologne early on as all three of his goal scoring appearances for the club this season saw him net the match opener. Benedict Hollerbach scored in defeat for Union last round, which is unusual for him as his previous four goals had all been decisive in victory. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Cologne’s final two games are against the only two sides they’ve never beaten in top flight H2H history: Union (D2, L7), and Heidenheim (D1). [/p]