Dortmund vs FC Koln prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2023-03-17 17:30.
A 2-2 draw with Schalke rubbed salt into Borussia Dortmund wounds following their Champions League exit to Chelsea, and they now trail Bundesliga leaders and fierce rivals Bayern Munich by two points. With the title race looking likely to be fought out between those two, they’ll need to try to rekindle the form that saw them start 2023 with ten straight victories to keep the pressure on Bayern.
The potential returns of Marco Reus and Karim Adeyemi should help, and as Dortmund have only lost one of the last 22 home H2Hs against Cologne (W17, D4), this could be an ideal opportunity for them to return to winning ways. That defeat came during Covid so the presence of their supporters at Signal Iduna Park may help them extend a sequence of six consecutive home league wins.
It’s more than a month since Cologne last scored in, or won, a league game (D1, L3) resulting in a slide down the standings, even though they appear safe from the bottom three for the moment. But starting the round seven points from both the relegation zone and the top half means the destiny of their season is now clearly in their own hands.
Having not won here with fans present since April 1991, it’ll be tough for the Billy Goats to rediscover some goalscoring form, though they’ve managed stubborn draws from their last three previous away games against sides that start matchday 25 in the top four. They may raise their game for the big occasion again as the only team they’ve scored against in their last seven league away contests was Bayern (D3, L4)!
Players to watch: Raphaël Guerreiro, who scored to put Dortmund 2-1 up against Schalke last time out, netted in the first minute of this fixture back in January 2020. In November that year, Ellyes Skhiri scored both goals as Cologne won 2-1 here and, he’s the last player to score for them this season.
Hot stat: Dortmund scored at least two first-half goals in five of their last six home league games (HT: W4, D2).