German Bundesliga
2024-01-13 - Koln vs Heidenheim
A Sports Betting Pick by Niko
Football; Germany: Bundesliga
Rhein Energie Stadion – Koln
Saturday, 13th January 2024 - kickoff 15:30 CET
Koln
In a (not so) surprising turn of events, coach Steffen Baumgart chose to step down from the coaching position at Koln at the end of December. Baumgart was a loved figure in Koln; he had the full support of the club and the fans, but he probably feels that he cannot save this team from dropping.
The good thing is that Koln reacted quickly and appointed a good replacement in Timo Schulz, a former St.Pauli and Basel coach, who is likely to make some changes and move the team in the right direction.
Koln has lost 10 of their 16 games so far, sitting in a bad position, second from the bottom. However, they are only three points behind the safety with 18 games to go, so they can surely get out of there by winning a few games. The key is to beat all their rivals from the lower part of the Bundesliga, starting first with Heidenheim.
Koln went winless in their last three games before the winter break, losing 2-0 against their direct rivals Union Berlin in the last game. That was also their third straight game where they failed to score, and their seventh straight Bundesliga match ending with under 2.5 goals.
Heidenheim
Heidenheim is having an excellent first Bundesliga season. They sit at the golden mid-table, with a comfortable ten points advantage over the relegation zone.
The key to their success is the extraordinary home form, where they collected most of their 20 points. On the road, Heidenheim collected only four points, which is concerning, but it doesn’t affect them much now.
Heidenheim finished 2023 on a high note, winning their last three matches against SV Darmstadt 98, Mainz, and SC Freiburg.
Regarding duels against Koln, they have faced them twice so far, with both games coming in 2.Bundesliga in the season 2018/19. They drew 1-1 away in Koln and lost 0-2 at home.
The Betting Verdict
This is a hugely important game for Koln, where they must give their all to win it. Next week, they have a very difficult game against Borussia Dortmund, and considering they are second from the bottom, beating Heidenheim is essential.
Heidenheim will likely take a more careful approach in this game, given their extremely poor away record. They are comfortable at mid-table, so even one point will mean a lot to them.
However, the pressure and motivation are higher on Koln, and I believe they will step up and win this match at good odds.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Koln 2-1 Heidenheim
