The first of the two matchups on Sunday in the German Bundesliga round 6 features the team that represents the biggest surprise in a positive manner and the team that represents the biggest surprise in a negative manner so far. The newly promoted Hannover 96 team is coming from a 1:1 road draw against Freiburg while FC Koln is coming off from a fifth consecutive loss in the league that occurred at home on Wednesday against not very good Eintracht Frankfurt team.
Undefeated versus winless is the working title for this game that features teams that are going in opposite directions at the moment. Still, the season has just started and there is plenty of time to turn things around no matter the position the teams are now. Some interesting facts are waiting below so let’s start.
Hannover 96 vs. FC Koln
Three-Way: 1: Hannover 96 +114; X: +265 Draw; FC Koln +315
Spread -0.5: Hannover 96 +104; FC Koln -109
Total +2.5: Over +117; Under -122
HANNOVER 96
The Hannover 96 team continued its undefeated run during the midweek with a 1:1 draw on the road against Freiburg. They are currently ranked at No. 4 spot with eleven points earned, just two less than the leader Borussia Dortmund. They’ve recorded three wins and two draws and their current goal difference is 6-2. In front of their own crowd, they are perfect for now with two victories three goals scored and no goals conceded. It looks like the prime objective for the newly promoted squad that presents avoiding relegation to the second tier competition is easily be achieved.
They score 1.30 goals and concede only 0.40 goals per match while no matches had over 2.5 goals in total so far. They haven’t managed to score or concede at least one goal in both halves and both teams scored in only two of their five games. Against Freiburg on Tuesday coach Breitenreiter started with the 4-2-3-1 scheme as Korb, Sane, Hubner and Ostrzolek operated as the defensive line in front of goalie Tschauner. Anton and Schwegler started at the defensive midfielder positions while Harnik, Bakalorz, and Klaus provided the backup to lone attacker Fullkrug. The only scorer for the team was Martin Harnik in the 66th minute of the match. Statistically, the home team had a slight initiative as they recorded 28 total shots oppose to 17 by Hannover while ball possession went fifty-fifty. Individually, Marvin Bakalorz, Niklas Fullkrug, Martin Harnik and Felix Klaus presented the biggest threat for Freiburg’s goalkeeper Schowlow with three shots recorded each. Pirmin Schwegler dominated the passing segment with 92.9% of passes completed in 28 attempts. Klaus, Ostrzolek, Shwegler, and Sane got booked during this match and they find themselves in the risk of suspension. Slovakian striker Martin Harnik tops the team in scoring so far with four goals in his account. Jonathas and Bebou have one each so far.
Edgar Prib who got injured his ACL during the preseason is expected to be back in mid-February next year. Felipe’s (groin), Amiiko Albornoz’s (thigh) and Noah-Joel Sarenren-Bazee’s (thigh) status are currently unknown while Brazilian international Jonathas is listed doubtful for Sunday’s matchup with a thigh injury. Uffe Bech who has been unavailable since the beginning of the preseason with the knee injury is listed as day to day and could finally see some action before the end of this month.
FC KOLN
It’s official. This is the FC Koln’s worst start of the season in history with five consecutive defeats in first five rounds. Borussia Monchengladbach (0:1) and FC Augsburg (0:3) on the road and Hamburger SV (1:3) at home proved to be lethal for the Billy Goats so far and the icing on the cake came last weekend in Dortmund where FC Koln got humiliated and looked like a bunch of amateurs trying to play some sport that they have never played before. Inability to record a correct pass was the story of the night for this team and abyss got deeper on Wednesday when FC Koln recorded their fifth loss of the season at home against Frankfurt.
In the Bundesliga table, FC Koln is currently locked at the bottom with no points earned and this trend must be broken as soon as possible. Fans had great expectations prior to the season start because the team showed some attitude and character last year when they managed to secure the Europa League berth in the last couple of rounds but all this excitement quickly faded away and the squad found itself grasping for air. A possible sixth defeat on Sunday will present the disaster that hasn’t been remembered in teams’ recent history. Coach Stoger’s position at the helm of the team is in serious jeopardy and one more loss would probably seal his faith.
He tried to experiment with the scheme in the last couple of games, searching for the perfect fit but these moves haven’t been very successful. Against Dortmund, he started with the 4-5-1 scheme while on Wednesday the scheme looked more like 4-4-2. In the last round loss against Eintracht, they had a brittle initiative with 53% of ball possession and 25 total shots towards opponents’ goal oppose to Frankfurt’s 12. Rausch, Heintz, Maroh, and Sorensen started as a defensive line in front of goalie Horn while Zoller, Hoger, Lehmann, and Bittencourt operated in the middle of the field. Cordoba and Osako were center-forwards and they also presented the biggest threat for the opponents’ goalie with six total shots combined but it made no difference. Teams’ current goal difference is 1-13 and the only scorer was Fredrik Sorensen in week 2 against HSV.
Nikolas Nartey (knee) is expected to be available in mid-November while the timetable for Jonas Hector’s return (ankle) is set at mid-December. Artjoms Rudnevs (Illness) is listed as doubtful for Sunday while Marius Laux’s (unknown) status is unknown and it is uncertain if he will be in the mix for starting eleven.
Hannover 96 vs. FC Koln – Match Prediction
Everything here points out to another win by the home team and another loss for the guests but soccer wouldn’t be as interesting as it is if the things were that simple. This matchup is a possible sleeper so tread carefully when picking outcomes here. Based on the hunch, I’ll go full crazy here and say that FC Koln team will not lose this game thus securing first point/s of the season. On the other side, at least one goal scored by both teams sounds right and that will be my additional pick. This is a perfect matchup to fall on and I hope that you won’t listen to almost everyone else and go for an obvious here. If you don’t have enough courage to pick the double chance on the visitors, better avoid this duel. You’ll be happier when the final whistle sounds the end.
My pick: FC Koln Double Chance X2 (-111)
Additional Pick: Both teams score YES (-105)
