Koln vs Wolfsburg Betting Tips & Match Prediction
Koln vs Wolfsburg Betting Preview
It’s a repeat of the opening match of the Bundesliga season for these two sides with FC Koeln out for revenge for a defeat which put them on a worrying path. A lot has changed since then for both of these clubs with a new manager and plenty of changes in form.
Recent Form
The former Hamburg boss Markus Gisdol took over at Koeln back in November and has overseen an impressive change in fortunes. They won their last three matches before the winter break while their opponents endured almost a mirror image. Wolfsburg’s impressive start to the season was undone in November and manager Oliver Glasner will be hoping for a turnaround on the weekend.
Koln vs Wolfsburg Recent Meetings
The recent form is with them. It was a bit of a mixed bag between these two sides before Koeln’s relegation but last year, it was all about Wolfsburg. That 2-1 win on the opening day of the season was a comfortable one for Wolfsburg after goals from Max Arnold and Wout Weghorst either side of halftime.
Koln vs Wolfsburg Stats & Analysis
It was the perfect way to kick-off the season for Wolfsburg. They were unbeaten in their opening nine matches before a crushing 3-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund put a stop to that in game week 10. It sent Glasner’s men down a worrying path of five defeats in eight matches which saw them plummet down the table. An impressive win over Borussia Monchengladbach in mid-December did little to stop the rot.
For FC Koeln, things have been a complete mirror image. Their woeful start to the season saw them lose nine of their opening 12 fixtures since returning to the Bundesliga after a year away. It was a real trial by fire and cost manager Achim Beierlorzer his job. Much like their opponents in this upcoming match, things started to turn around in November.
They used a 1-1 draw with Augsburg to rebuild confidence and Koeln ended the first half of the season as one of the Bundesliga’s in-form sides. They won their last three consecutive matches in the league including an impressive 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen at Venue RheinEnergieStadion. That was just their second clean sheet of three in what has been a season split in half.
That was always going to be the key for manager Oliver Glasner. Only Fortuna Dusseldorf and their opponents Wolfsburg have conceded fewer goals than FC Koeln so keeping them out at the other is of the utmost importance.
Koln vs Wolfsburg Bets
They’ve been able to do just that lately but it’s on them to make sure that continues in what is expected to be an even contest. The bookies are split on this match with both Koeln and Wolfsburg out at 9/5 to pick up the win. A draw is out at 5/2 with the odds-providers implying that a single goal either way could be enough to settle this one.
As previously mentioned, both sides have had trouble scoring goals this season and the odds certainly reflect that. Under 3.5 goals in the game is a very short 4/11 but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see this match go even lower. Under 1.5 goals seems pretty generous at 14/5 and could be worth a punt for those who aren’t expecting a classic.
And who can blame anyone for thinking that? These are hardly the most prolific teams in the division and this match will probably prove that. In terms of a final scoreline, a draw would suit both sides and we can expect it to be a low-scoring one at that. 1-1 is a decent price at 6/1 but a 0-0 draw at full-time seems pretty generous out at 43/4. Nobody is expecting a classic here but perhaps one of these sides will surprise us. A result like that could set both clubs on very different paths, just like the match on the opening day of the season.
