Stadium: RheinEnergieStadion (Köln)
16.02.2024 22:30
FC Koln and Werder Bremen get round 22 of the German Bundesliga going when they go head-to-head on Friday. Ole Werner's team is hoping to snap their losing streak at the RheinEnergieStadion, having lost their previous 12 trips there. The game takes place this coming weekend.
Last Sunday at the PreZero Arena, Koln's disappointment was evident as they allowed Hoffenheim to hold them to a 1-1 draw after giving up an equalizer in the 94th minute. Their seven-game winless streak across all competitions ended on February 3 with a 2-0 victory over a nine-man Eintracht Frankfurt team.
With 16 points from 21 matches, Koln is presently 16th in the Bundesliga ranking, five points back of 15th-placed Union Berlin just above the relegation playoff slot. Elsewhere, Werder Bremen were dragged tumbling back down to earth last time out as they succumbed to a fairly disappointing 2-1 setback to Heidenheim on home ground.
After winning three straight games and one tie in their first four 2024 matches, Werner's team had not lost since the beginning of the year.
Werder Bremen is already in tenth in the league standings with 26 points from 21 games, but if they win all three this weekend, they might go up to seventh.
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Koln has shown signs of improving recently after suffering a crushing 4-0 home loss to Borussia Dortmund at the end of the previous month. In their last three games, they have picked up five points, including a 2-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt and two 1-1 draws away against Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim.
Koln's five-year Bundesliga tenure is still in jeopardy as they enter the last third of the season four points above the bottom two and five points behind Union Berlin, who defeated Wolfsburg only a few days ago, in the relegation playoff standings.
Timo Schultz will be anxious to see his team win a crucial match against a Bremen team that they have had a lot of success against in the past. The team has tough matches against Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen coming up.
Koln has, in fact, won more Bundesliga points at home against Bremen than any other team. They have also won all 11 of their previous league encounters against the River Islanders at RheinEnergieStadion, with their most recent victory coming in January of last year at home with a resounding 7-1 victory, their biggest in the top flight in over thirty years.
Werder Bremen
Werder Bremen's seven-game league winning streak and three-match winning streak came to an end last weekend when they lost 2-1 at home to Heidenheim, their first setback since the year's beginning.
Early in December, Ole Werner's team was only two points above the relegation zone; however, their winning streak before the Heidenheim loss allowed them to move up to 10th position. Their worries about dropping out have long since subsided as they already lead their opponents Koln by 10 points on Friday and are only two points behind Freiburg in seventh place.
At the halfway point of the season, Bremen had one of the worst away records in the division. However, they have since won four straight road games, including back-to-back 1-0 victories at Mainz 05 and Bayern Munich. The only other time Bremen had won three straight Bundesliga games was during the 1981–82 campaign when they were managed by Otto Rehhagel.
Expert Betting Tips
After a shocking home loss to Heidenheim the previous game, Bremen will be hoping to turn things around this weekend.
But, they have a dismal track record at the RheinEnergieStadion, therefore we believe Koln will fight for a piece of the victory in front of their home fans. However, a draw is the most likely outcome.
Potential score line is 1 - 1 or 2 - 2.