VfL Wolfsburg – 1. FC Köln
Five exciting games await us again in this Saturday conference in the Bundesliga. One of them will take place at the Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg. Two struggling clubs will meet there. A win would therefore be hugely important for both teams. Find out which fan camp can finally look forward to three points again this week in our Wolfsburg – Cologne betting tip.
For the Wolves, the new year got off to a similar start to last year, namely a disappointing one. After a 1-1 draw against Bochum at the end of the first half of the season, they were held to another draw at newly promoted Heidenheim the previous week.
The visitors from Cologne also started the new year with a draw against Heidenheim. In the previous week, however, they suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat at home to Borussia Dortmund. As a result of the defeat, the cathedral city team remain in second-last place
Wolfsburg – Cologne info
- Date & Time: 27.01.2024, 3:30 pm
- Location: Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg
- Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 19
- TV broadcast: Sky
Wolfsburg Form & Balance Check
In the previous season, VfL Wolfsburg only missed out on a place in the European Cup on the final matchday due to a defeat against Hertha, who had already been relegated. Although the Wolves lost key players in Micky van de Ven and Felix Nmecha before this season, they also invested a lot of money in new signings in the summer. The declared goal was therefore to return to Europe.
However, VfL have taken a different path so far this season. Coach Niko Kovac’s men are currently 11th in the table and have not won in three games. Wolfsburg have also only managed a disappointing two wins from their last twelve games
Wind must fix it
Last week, the Wolves only managed a disappointing 1:1 draw against Heidenheim. However, they took a 1:0 lead thanks to a goal from Vaclav Cerny, with the preparatory work for this goal coming from Jonas Wind. The Dane has been directly involved in 64 percent of VfL’s goals so far, i.e. 14 of the 22 goals scored.
This makes the attacker the most influential player in the Bundesliga. No other player in Germany’s elite league has been involved in so many of his team’s goals. With new goals for the season so far, the 24-year-old is also in 5th place in the Bundesliga goalscoring charts
Wolfsburg facts & analysis
- Did you know that VfL Wolfsburg score 43% of their goals between the 31-45 minute mark? That’s the highest figure in the league.
- A year ago, VfL Wolfsburg were in 7th place in the table with 29 points. They are currently in 11th position (20).
- When VfL Wolfsburg leads 1-0 in home matches, they win 63% of the matches.
Cologne Form & Balance Check
This season has not been particularly successful for 1. FC Köln so far. The team from the Rhine just can’t get going and have only managed two wins so far this Bundesliga season. As a result, long-serving coach Steffen Baumgart even had to leave his post shortly before Christmas. But even under new coach Timo Schultz, the team has yet to score another three points after the winter break.
The Billy Goats had to deal with Borussia Dortmund at the weekend and ended up losing 4-0, the 11th defeat for the cathedral city side this season. Cologne’s last victory dates back to the beginning of December, when they won 1:0 against bottom-of-the-table Darmstadt. Cologne are now in 17th place in the table with eleven points
Who scores the goals?
The offense is the big problem for the Effzeh this season. The Billy Goats have only scored eleven goals this season. Mainz 05, who have currently played one game less, currently have the second-worst attacking line in the league with 14 goals. In addition, the Domstädter have been very dependent on attacker Davie Selke so far this season.
The 29-year-old has already scored five goals this season, accounting for 45% of all Cologne’s goals. New signing Luca Waldschmidt has also found the back of the net twice. However, both of these attackers will miss the Geißböcken for the next few weeks due to injury. Coach Timo Schultz will therefore have to find a new goal scorer on Saturday
Cologne facts & analysis
- FC Köln have not won in 5 games.
- Today’s goals: 1. FC Köln have failed to score in 5 of their 9 away games in the Bundesliga this season.
- A year ago, 1. FC Köln were in 10th place in the table with 21 points. They are currently in 17th position (11th).
Predicted line-up – last update on January 26, 2024
Niko Kovac has not yet found his desired line-up at VfL Wolfsburg this year. Compared to the Heidenheim game, we expect a few changes again. Lovro Majer will probably be out injured.
We expect Cologne to play a 4-2-3-1 again. After coach Timo Schultz recently played without a real center forward against BVB, we expect a real number 9 in the starting line-up again on Saturday
Wolfsburg – Cologne head-to-head & stats
VfL Wolfsburg have won 18 of the 38 games between the two sides. Cologne, on the other hand, have only emerged victorious ten times. There has been one away win in each of the last five meetings between these two clubs
- VfL Wolfsburg’s home record against 1. FC Köln in their last 17 matches: 10 wins, 4 draws and 3 defeats. The goal difference: 38-19 in favor of VfL Wolfsburg.
- VfL Wolfsburg win the first half in 34% of their matches, 1. FC Köln in 26% of their matches
- On average VfL Wolfsburg score 1.8 goals against 1. FC Köln and 1. FC Köln score 1.6 goals against VfL Wolfsburg.
- The average number of goals in the first half in meetings between VfL Wolfsburg and 1. FC Köln is 1.6.
- VfL Wolfsburg scores 1.41 goals on average in home matches and 1. FC Köln scores 1.35 goals on average in away matches (on average).
