Soccer Germany Bundesliga Prediction

FC Koln vs B. Monchengladbach - Match Preview

⚽ 2 April 2023 - 13:30 GMT +0

A five-match winless Bundesliga run (D1, L4) leaves Cologne looking anxiously over their shoulder as the season enters the home straight. Coming into the weekend six points clear of the three relegation spots, Cologne can’t rest easy just yet and should their joint-longest winless Bundesliga run under Steffen Baumgart become an unwanted record outright, then they could be sitting even more uncomfortably at the end of the weekend.

With Cologne’s position still looking perilous, a Rhine Derby against Borussia Mönchengladbach probably comes at an inopportune time, especially as they bear the psychological scars of a 5-2 defeat in the reverse earlier in the season. Just 35.4 miles separate Cologne from their bitter rivals off the pitch, and there’s always been something to separate them on it of late, with none of the last 14 H2Hs ending in a stalemate (Cologne: W6, L8).

If there was ever an advert for mid-table mediocrity, then Gladbach is probably it. Sitting ten points above the drop zone and nine points adrift of the European spots ahead of the round, Daniel Farke’s side is essentially just playing for position. Such a mindset is perhaps demonstrated by a four-match winless league run (D2, L2), with Gladbach conceding nine goals across those games, eight of which arrived after the break.

Conceding has long been a problem for Gladbach and that problem has been amplified on the road, especially late in games where they’ve conceded a league-high ten away goals after the 75th minute. That perhaps goes some way to explaining why Gladbach have collected just seven points after 12 away Bundesliga games so far this term (W1, D4, L7), their lowest points tally after so many top-flight games on the road since 2006/07.

📋 Players to watch: Expect a goal fest if Davie Selke gets on the scoresheet, as his two Bundesliga scoring appearances this season saw a whopping five first-half goals scored! Gladbach may look to Marcus Thuram for a telling contribution considering three of his last four league goals served as game-winners.

⚡ Hot stat: Cologne has failed to score in the first half in nine of their 12 home league games this season.

Werder Bremen vs Hoffenheim - Match Preview

⚽ 2 April 2023 - 15:30 GMT +0

Although ten points separated Werder Bremen from the bottom three ahead of this round, they need a big push if they’re to grab an unlikely top-half finish. Ole Werner’s men earned a creditable point from a 2-2 draw at Gladbach ahead of the break, yet improving on a rather uninspiring run of one win across the last six rounds should now be the priority (W1, D1, L4).

Bremen have scored more league goals (39) than two of the sides that began the round in the top four, and that’s largely down to the fact that they boast the league’s best striking duo of Niclas Füllkrug and Markus Duksch. The pair have scored 23 of the River Islanders’ league goals (59%), although a defence that had kept just two clean sheets from 13 home league games this season have neutralised that impact.

Hoffenheim enters this round just one point above the bottom three following their 3-1 victory over Hertha Berlin before the international break. Boss Pellegrino Matarazzo was reportedly facing the sack after just six weeks in charge if they lost their last game, so he is surely still walking on thin ice.

Matarazzo’s dire record so far speaks for itself (W1, L5), yet he may hope for a continuation of their mini-resurgence here, as Werder is one of only three senior sides he has faced at least three times without ever losing (W2, D1). Despite the personal positives, the reality of the situation is that Hoffenheim has been demonstrably poor away from home, not winning a road game since last October (D1, L7).

📋 Players to watch: Werder and Bundesliga top scorer Füllkrug (G15) enjoyed the international break by doubling his career tally for Germany with three goals in two appearances! Hoffenheim’s Andrej Kramarić also found the net for Croatia during the break and he had five goal contributions from ten Bundesliga H2Hs with Werder (G4, A1).

⚡ Hot stat: Hoffenheim has lost 11 of their 12 Bundesliga games as pre-match outsiders this season (W1).