FC Koln vs Augsburg prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2023-11-03 14:30.
There was a great shock for those who thought their 3-1 victory over Mönchengladbach in the Rhine derby would have been a turning point in Cologne’s season, as they followed that up with a chastening 6-0 defeat at the hands of Leipzig last weekend. That result left them languishing in second last with just four points (W1, D1, L7) after the loss, which stands as their worst start to a league season since they finished rock bottom in 2017/18.
Angry manager Steffen Baumgart declared “it will be a relegation battle until the last day” and demanded they secure consecutive league wins at the RheinEnergieStadion for the first time in more than one year. Coincidentally, the last time Cologne did so, their second home win was a 3-2 success against none other than Augsburg, which was also their only home H2H win across the last 12 years (W1, D3, L4).
Momentum is on the side of Augsburg yet again as they travel here on the back of consecutive league wins, helping them open up a seven-point gap to their struggling hosts. The Bavarians marked the home debut of new manager Jess Thorup in dramatic fashion last weekend when claiming a 3-2 win from a 2-1 half-time deficit against Wolfsburg, reaffirming their status as one of the Bundesliga’s most entertaining teams to watch as a neutral with an average of 4.3 total goals per match.
That’s not an entirely positive thing as far as Thorup would be concerned, as Augsburg have conceded at least twice in each away league game so far (W1, L3), so their attack may need to be in top form for a positive result. The evidence suggests that may well be the case, as 18 goals after nine rounds is twice as many as Augsburg had scored last term, whilst it’s also their highest such return since they were in the fourth tier back in 2001/02!
Players to watch: Cologne’s Florian Kainz converted a spot kick either side of half-time in their last home win, extending his 100% penalty scoring record in the German Bundesliga to seven. Augsburg’s Phillip Tietz comes into this game in fine form after contributing to three of his side’s eight goals scored across the previous two rounds (G2, A1).
Hot stat: All but two of Augsburg’s ten Bundesliga away goals conceded came before half-time (HT: W1, L3).