In this article, we have prepared for you an in-depth analysis of the Round 9 matchup that will take place on Sunday in Koln between hosts and their guests from Bremen.
Only two teams that haven’t yet recorded a victory in German Bundesliga this season will lock horns at Rhein-Energie Stadium as part of the Round 8 matchup that was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday but was postponed to Sunday because of FC Koln’s UEFA Europa League appearance on Thursday. The FC Koln team was close to earning one point on the road last week but Chadrac Akolo’s late winner shattered Billy Goats’ hopes of recording a positive result.
The visitors also recorded a loss in last round, but they’ve managed to accomplish that in front of their own crowd as they were outplayed by Borussia Monchengladbach team, 0:2. This will be one very interesting duel and hopefully, one of these two teams will finally record a win this year as their combined record is 0-5-11. Our job will be to take advantage of their enormous thirst for a victory in order to get you on the right track when it comes to fattening your piggy bank so let’s take a closer look.
FC Koln vs. SV Werder Bremen
Three-Way: 1: FC Koln +160; X: +254 Draw; SV Werder Bremen +204
Spread 0: FC Koln -120; SV Weder Bremen +123
Total +2.5: Over -102; Under -103
FC KOLN
The manner in which the FC Koln team managed to end last season foreshadowed some bright days for the team but the way this season is playing out at the moment, those “bright” days look gloomier than ever. The departure of last season’s best player, striker Anthony Modeste has obviously left a big impact on the teams’ overall performance and they just can’t get their attack on the striking mode again. As aforementioned, they were close to securing one point on the road against Stuttgart last week but the home team managed to score a winner in the fourth minute of the added time sending the crowd at Mercedes-Benz Arena frantic. Another blow came on Thursday night when the team recorded another loss in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League against Belarus side Bate Borisov, 1:0 on the road.
They currently rank at the top bottom of the league table with only one point from eight games and that one came on the road in week 6 in Hannover. Their goal difference is 3-17 (2-6 at home) and 62% of their games had over 2.5 goals in total while 33% of their home matches had over 3.5 goals in total. The Billy Goats’ horrific stat sheet sums up the fact that they’ve managed to concede at least one goal in both halves in 62% of their overall matchups while they haven’t yet scored a goal in both periods.
Saturday’s matchup will also probably be the final chance for head coach Peter Stoger to extend his tenure at the helm of the team because anything besides a win will probably mean that he won’t be the team’s manager on Monday. He has been experimenting with the scheme but it seems that classic 4-4-2 makes the most sense for now, where Klunter, Sorensen, Heintz, and Rausch playing on the defensive line in front of goalie Horn. Jojic, Ozcan, Lehmann, and Bittencourt usually operate in the middle of the field while Zoller and Osako start at the centre-forward positions.
Dominique Heintz, Yuya Osako, and Frederik Sorensen are the only guys who managed to get themselves on the scoreboard while Jhon Cordoba, Tim Handwerker, and Simon Zoller managed to record one assist each. Matthias Lehmann tops the passing segment with 366 total passes recorded while goalie Timo Horn has 133 shots against, 29 saves and one clean-sheet game so far. When it comes to the discipline, Frederik Sorensen and Konstantin Rausch have collected four and three yellow cards while no Koln’s player has yet been sent off.
Summer acquisition Jhon Cordoba (thigh) and Danish native Nikolas Nartey (meniscus) are expected to be out until at least mid-November while Jonas Hector (ankle) has a timetable set for a return at mid-December. Marcel Risse’s (meniscus) and Marisu Laux’s (unknown) status is unknown.
SV WERDER BREMEN
The SV Werder Bremen’s start of the season on the other side is not much better than their next opponents’ as they are also winless but have four draws recorded so far along with four defeats (0-4-4 record). They are even better on the road where they’ve recorded three draws and only one loss but this lack of efficiency must be taken care off if they want to turn the corner on their season and leave the danger zone.
They currently rank at No. 17 spot in the league table with four points earned after 8 rounds, three points less than SC Freiburg and HSV who is above the relegation line. Same as FC Koln, they’ve scored only three goals so far but they also conceded a bit less goals (3-9 goal difference, 2-3 on the road). 88% of their total matches had under 2.5 goals in total while every road game had under 2.5 goals in total. As a matter of fact, 50% of their road duels had under 1.5 goals in total but in 38% of their total games, both teams scored. They’ve also conceded at least one goal in both halves in only one matchup since the beginning of the season while they haven’t yet scored a goal in both periods.
Coach Nouri prefers the 3-5-2 scheme that is very rare in today’s soccer and he might have to reconsider this approach having in mind the teams’ results. Moisander, Sane, and Veljkovic are the most often starters at centre-back positions while Augustinsson, Delaney, Bargfrede, Junuzovic, and Bauer usually operate in the middle of the field. Belfodil and Bartels have mostly attacking assignments while goalie Pavlenka holds his position at the moment firmly. Fin Bartels, Thomas Delaney and Lamine Sane managed to get themselves on the scoreboard so far with one goal each while no Werder’s player has yet recorded an assist. Passing segment is being dominated by defender Robert Bauer with 276 total passes while Pavlenka has 34 saves (most in the league) and two games with clean-sheets at the moment.
Max Kruse (collarbone) is expected to be ready during next month while Justin Eilers (cruciate ligament) will be out of action until January next year. Eric Oelschlagel’s (elbow) status is unknown while Theodor Gebre Selassie (toe) is listed as day to day. Jerome Gondorf (shoulder) is back in training.
FC Koln vs. SV Werder Bremen – Match Prediction
I know that the fans of both teams are expecting the first win for their respective teams but a draw here is still the most possible outcome. On the other side, at least one goal scored by both teams is in my opinion the safest pick and that would be my first choice. Last year matchups between these two foes featured nine goals in total (4:3 FC Koln win at home, 1:1 draw in Bremen) and that might be the case this time but I wouldn’t go too high. Two or three goals in total make the most sense.
My pick: Both teams score YES (-125)
