Freiburg return to action in the Bundesliga when they play host to FC Koln at the Europa Park Stadion on Sunday. Having edged out Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League on Thursday, Julian Schuster’s men will be aiming to make it three home wins on the trot, while Koln will be out to secure their first away win since October.
FootballWhispers‘ Freiburg vs FC Koln prediction takes a look at the chances of both sides coming away with all three points this weekend.
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Freiburg vs FC Koln prediction: Freiburg to extend dominant home form
Key stats
- There have been at least three goals scored in four of Koln’s last five matches, with a combined 15 goals netted across the five games.
- Freiburg are on a run of four consecutive home games without defeat against Koln, claiming three wins and one draw since a 2-1 defeat in August 2019.
- Koln are without a win in their last five away games, losing three and picking up two draws since a 1-0 victory over Hoffenheim on October 3.
- Freiburg have won all but one of their most recent eight home games, with a 1-1 draw against Dortmund on December 14 being the exception, and are unbeaten in their last 12 home matches since the start of September (9W 3D).
Correct score prediction: Freiburg 3-1 Koln
While Koln will be looking to continue from where they dropped off against Mainz, they are in for a tough 90 minutes against a spirited Freiburg side, who have been near impenetrable at home this season. Koln have struggled for results on their travels, and given their current run of results at the Europa Park Stadion, we fancy Freiburg to come away with all three points.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Bookies fancy Freiburg to get the job done
- HOME: 19/20 (1.95) – 51.3%
- DRAW: 5/2 (3.50) – 28.6%
- AWAY: 11/4 (3.75) – 26.7%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
Freiburg maintained their unbeaten Europa League campaign in midweek when they secured a 1-0 victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv in their Europa League clash at the Europa Park Stadion.
Croatian striker Igor Matanovic came up clutch for the home side as he broke the deadlock with an 82nd-minute strike to send them into third place in the table, one point behind first-placed Olympique Lyon.
While Schuster’s men are firing on all cylinders on the continental scene, they have blown hot and cold back home, failing to win four of their most recent six Bundesliga matches, losing twice and claiming two draws, including a 2-2 stalemate against Augsburg last Sunday.
Despite their recent struggles, Freiburg remain in the mix for European qualification, as they sit eighth in the Bundesliga table with 24 points from 18 games, five points off the coveted top-six places.
This weekend’s hosts have lost just one of their eight Bundesliga home games this season, while picking up four wins and three draws, and the bookmakers fancy them to secure the win this weekend, currently priced at 21/10.
This indicates a highly favourable 51.3% win probability, in contrast to Koln’s 26.7% likelihood of victory, while there is a 28.6% chance of the spoils being shared at the Europa Park Stadion.
Koln will head into the weekend with improved confidence, off the back of a resilient display last Saturday, when they fought back from behind to snatch a 2-1 victory over Mainz.
Die Geissbocke found themselves at half time thanks to a Stefan Bell’s 29th-minute opener for Mainz, but Ragnar Ache netted a second-half brace in an eye-catching display to turn the game on its head at the RheinEnergieStadion.
This was a much-needed result for Lukas Kwasniok’s men, who had failed to win their previous eight Bundesliga matches, losing five and claiming three draws while conceding 17 goals and scoring nine across the eight games.
Koln have picked up 20 points from their 18 Bundesliga matches so far to sit 10th in the league standings, level on points with 11th-placed Borussia Monchengladbach and seven points clear of the danger zone.
While we take a deeper look into both teams, you can take a peek at some of the best picks and predictions for this weekend’s fixtures by FootballWhispers in today’s free football betting tips.
Most recent H2Hs: Koln out to end seven-year streak
Freiburg hold the upper hand in this fixture across their last 10 encounters, having picked up five wins, two more than Koln’s three victories.
Die Geissbocke have failed to taste victory in their last four visits to the Europa Park Stadion, losing three and claiming one draw since scraping a 2-1 win back in August 2019.
Germany Bundesliga I 31/08/25
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Freiburg preview: Two players ruled out for Schuster’s side
Freiburg will have to cope without the services of Austrian defender Phillip Lienhart, who has missed the last three matches through an abdominal problem.
Daniel-Kofi Kyereh continues his long road to full fitness from a severe knee injury, and the Ghanaian international is also out of contention for Schuster’s men.
Predicted lineup: Atubolu (GK), Kuebler, Ginter, Ogbus, Makengo, Eggestein, Manzambi, Treu, Suzuki, Grifo & Matanovic
Last five games
- Freiburg 1-0 Maccabi Tel Aviv
- Augsburg 2-2 Freiburg
- Leipzig 2-0 Freiburg
- Freiburg 2-1 Hamburger
- Wolfsburg 3-4 Freiburg
Koln preview: A relatively lengthy injury list
Koln will take to the pitch without the German duo of Timo Hubers and 26-year-old defender Luca Kilian, who have been ruled out through knee injuries.
Experienced defender Joel Schmied had missed each of the last seven matches since picking up a thigh injury against Frankfurt in November and the 27-year-old will play no part in Sunday’s game.
Fellow defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey recently sustained a muscle and the English defender is also a major doubt for Koln, meaning Rav van den Berg could come into the fold this weekend.
Predicted lineup: Schwaebe (GK), Sebulonsen, Martel, Van den Berg, Thielmann, Krauss, Kaminski, Castro-Montes, Maina, Buelter & Ache
Last five games
- Koln 2-1 Mainz
- Koln 1-3 Bayern Munich
- Heidenheim 2-2 Koln
- Koln 2-1 Lugano
- Koln 0-1 Union Berlin
Player to watch — Igor Matanovic
Off the back of another eye-catching display in the Europa League victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv in midweek, Matanovic will be on to keep an eye on this weekend.
The Croatian international justified earning his first Bundesliga start of the season last Sunday, when he netted a second-half equaliser in the 2-2 draw against Augsburg at the WWK Arena.
Matanovic has been on song for Freiburg of late, netting three goals in the last four matches, and we expect the 22-year-old to lead the attack once again, forming the front three with Philipp Treu and skipper Vincenzo Grifo.