Matchday six in the Bundesliga kicks off with a tasty clash at the PreZero Arena as Hoffenheim lock horns with FC Koln this Friday night.
The Kraichgauers enjoyed a mixed set of results in September, and they will be hoping to kick off the new month on a positive note when they take on a damaged Billy Goats side. Our Hoffenheim vs FC Koln prediction is one of our many Bundesliga predictions.
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Hoffenheim vs FC Koln predictions: Both sides in mixed form
Key stats
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- Hoffenheim are one of four sides who have seen both teams score in all of their Bundesliga games this term.
- Hoffenheim failed to win ten of their last 15 Bundesliga games as pre-match favourites (W5, D5, L5).
- Cologne failed to win half of their Bundesliga games when scoring first this season (W2, D1, L1).
- Cologne have scored exactly once before half-time in four of their five league games this season.
Correct score prediction: Hoffenheim 1-1 FC Koln
We are still in the early stages of the campaign, though it appears that consistency is already an issue for Hoffenheim who continue to bounce between impressive wins and depressing defeats.
Christian Ilzer’s side kicked off their season with a hugely impressive 2-1 win away at Bayer Leverkusen, but they failed to capitalise on that result as they backed it up with a 3-1 home loss to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Hoffenheim managed to dust themselves down and bounce back with a thumping 4-2 win over Union Berlin away in the capital. Again, the Kraichgauers could not manage to capitalise, losing their next game 4-1 at home to Bayern Munich.
Ilzer’s side picked up their seventh point of the season after drawing 1-1 away at Freiburg – a game which saw Hoffenheim dominate proceedings but fail to make the most of their chances.
The Billy Goats kicked off the new season like a house on fire, winning their first three competitive games and picking up a couple of early Bundesliga victories.
Wins over Mainz and Freiburg were followed up by a thrilling 3-3 draw away at Wolfsburg – a run which left Koln with seven points from a possible nine on their return to the big time.
Since then, Lukas Kwasniok and his men have endured a dip in form, losing 3-1 away at RB Leipzig and 2-1 at home against VfB Stuttgart.
Pre-game odds and win probability: …
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- HOME: 19/20 (1.95) – 51.3%
- DRAW: 14/5 (3.80) – 26.3%
- AWAY: 5/2 (3.50) – 28.6%
*Odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
Hoffenheim have been backed by the bookies to collect all three points in this encounter against FC Koln on Friday, with odds of 19/20 (1.95), which translates to a probability of 51.3% to win this weekend.
Don’t forget to check out more of our best betting tips for other competitions.
Most recent H2Hs: Mixed bag of results
There is certainly no trend or pattern to previous results between these two teams. Their last encounter took place in February and it ended in a 1-1 draw. In their two meetings in 2023, both teams won away from home 3-1.
Germany Bundesliga I 11/02/24
TSG Hoffenheim
Cologne
Germany Bundesliga I 16/09/23
Cologne
TSG Hoffenheim
Germany Bundesliga I 22/04/23
TSG Hoffenheim
Cologne
Germany Bundesliga I 30/10/22
Cologne
TSG Hoffenheim
Germany Bundesliga I 06/03/22
Cologne
TSG Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim preview: Hosts battling with injuries
Hoffenheim head into Friday’s fixture with a handful of injury worries. Frenchman Valentin Gendrey, for instance, has been struggling with an ankle injury since pre-season and continues to reside on the sidelines.
Adam Hlozek has also missed the entire season with a foot injury, but the Czechia international is expected to make his return at some points this month. Koki Machida, meanwhile, suffered a nasty ACL injury in the season opener with Leverkusen, leaving the Japanese player on the sidelines until the new calendar year.
Predicted lineup: Baumann (GK), Coufal, Hranac, Chaves, Bernardo, Kramaric, Avdullahu, Burger, Lemperle, Asllani & Toure
Last five matches
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- Freiburg 1-1 Hoffenheim
- Hoffenheim 1-4 Bayern Munich
- Union Berlin 2-4 Hoffenheim
- Hoffenheim 1-3 Eintracht Frankfurt
- Bayer Leverkusen 1-2 Hoffenheim
FC Koln preview: Lorient have several injury issues
In a rather scary development, Luca Kilian could be forced to retire from football at the age of 26 after suffering his third cruciate ligament tear in 18 months.
Rav van den Berg will also be on the sidelines. The former Middlesbrough player was forced off with a shoulder injury that required surgery during the 3-3 draw with Wolfsburg. He is expected to miss several weeks.
Predicted lineup: Schwabe (GK), Schmied, Martel, Hubers, Sebulonsen, Johannesson, Krauss, Maina, Thielmann, Kaminski & Ache
Last five matches
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- FC Koln 1-2 Stuttgart
- RB Leipzig 3-1 FC Koln
- Wolfsburg 3-3 FC Koln
- FC Koln 4-1 Freiburg
- Mainz 0-1 FC Koln
Player to watch: Tim Lemperle
A key figure in Koln's promotion from the second tier last season, Tim Lemperle has since joined Hoffenheim where he has enjoyed a tremendous start with three goal contributions in four league games to his name.