Fresh from their midweek victory, Cologne continue their push for survival with a clash against Augsburg at the WWK Arena. Given their poor away form this season, they are likely to struggle against Augsburg, who have a solid record at home.
Augsburg suffered a 2-0 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt in their midweek Bundesliga fixture. They will be disappointed to have come away empty handed after missing a number of chances with Alfred Finnbogason also blazing a second half penalty wide.
The result means Augsburg remain in the bottom half of the table and must start looking nervously over their shoulders. They are just seven points above the relegation zone with the likes of Mainz and Hertha Berlin on the rise in recent weeks.
Heiko Herrlich's men will be pleased to return to the WWK Arena where they have won two of their last three Bundesliga matches, including a 3-1 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach. However, they remain poor defensively and have conceded in 13 of their last 14 home matches.
Cologne gave themselves a boost in their quest for survival as they claimed a surprise 2-1 victory over RB Leipzig last time out in the Bundesliga. They rode their luck at times during the game but were able to secure the win thanks to a brace from captain Jonas Hector.
It was a much-needed win for Friedhelm Funkel’s team and ended a run 10 matches without a victory. They remain in the relegation zone but will hope to use the result as a springboard for survival.
The problem for Cologne is a poor record on their travels. They have lost their last five away matches, a run that includes a 5-1 defeat to Bayern Munich and a 3-0 drubbing at Bayer Leverkusen in their last outing on the road.
How the bookies view it
The bookies are split in this one with betfair offering 13/8 for a Cologne win while a victory for Augsburg is priced at 17/10 at Paddy Power. A draw is set at odds of 12/5 by betway.
Given Cologne’s poor form away from home, I am tempted to lean towards a victory for Augsburg here.
Head to head
Augsburg have the upper hand in this fixture with seven wins from 18 previous matches. Cologne have claimed four victories while there have been seven draws between both teams.
Augsburg earned a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in January.
Players to watch
Andre Hahn is the top scorer for Augsburg with seven goals while Ruben Vargas has found the net five times with both midfielders on target twice each in their last three home matches. Hahn is priced at 7/2 by Unibet to score anytime while bet365 has Ruben Vargas at 26/10 in the same market.
Croatian midfielder Ondrej Duda remains the top scorer for Cologne with five goals and is priced at 3/1 by Unibet to score anytime. Jonas Hector has featured in midfield lately and could be worth a punt in the same market at 5/1 with bet365 after netting a brace last time out.
Anything else catch the eye?
With neither defence particularly solid, it might be worth a punt backing both teams to score at 9/11 with Vbet. Over 2.5 goals could also be on the cards at 13/12 with SBK while over 3.5 goals is set at odds of 29/10 by BetVictor.
There are likely to be goals in both halves at 10/11 with William Hill while Sporting Index is offering 17/5 on Augsburg to find the net either side of the interval.
This German Bundesliga match between Augsburg and FC Cologne will be played on Apr 23, 2021 and kick off at 19:30. Check below for our tipsters best Augsburg vs FC Cologne prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
