1. FC Union Berlin vs FC Cologne Prediction and Tips: Goals
Tom Ashworth checks the goals data from two bottom-half Bundesliga sides before pricing the total at the Alte Forsterei.
The prediction is at the end of the analysis ↓Two struggling sides at the bottom of the Bundesliga table
Two of the Bundesliga's bottom-half sides meet at the Alte Forsterei: Union Berlin are 17th with six points from seven games, Cologne 12th with eight points from seven. Neither has convinced in front of goal in their last four league matches - Union Berlin have scored only twice, in a 1-1 draw with Augsburg, a 0-0 with Borussia Dortmund, a 1-0 win over Elversberg and a 0-7 thrashing at Bayern Munich that still stands as their heaviest defeat of the campaign.
Cologne's recent league form is similarly mixed - a 0-0 at home to Schalke, a 1-0 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt, a 2-1 home win over Borussia Monchengladbach and a 1-2 defeat at Hamburg SV - three goals scored, four conceded in those four games. Both sides also played in the DFB-Pokal in midweek (Cologne winning 5-0 away at Union Berlin), which adds a touch of rotation risk to a Sunday fixture.
Neither side looks capable of keeping a game tight for 90 minutes on the evidence of the last month - Union Berlin have shipped seven in a single match and Cologne have been on the losing or conceding end in three of their last four - and when two bottom-half sides with leaky recent form meet, the goals tend to come from mistakes rather than control.
We have not found confirmed team news for either side. The pick is over 2.5 goals at 1.63.
Form guide
Key numbers
- Union Berlin Bundesliga position17th, 6 pts from 7 games
- FC Cologne Bundesliga position12th, 8 pts from 7 games
- Union Berlin goals for/against, last 4 Bundesliga2 for, 8 against
- FC Cologne goals for/against, last 4 Bundesliga3 for, 4 against
Team news
We have not found confirmed team news for either side at the time of writing.
Union Berlin's 0-0 with Dortmund three games ago is a reminder that they can still play a containing game at home; a repeat of that approach, with Cologne happy to sit in, would miss this line.
Verdict
At 1.63, over 2.5 goals implies a 61% chance. Both sides have let games slip open recently - Union Berlin conceding seven in a single match, Cologne conceding in three of their last four - and with both struggling for consistency in the bottom half of the table, a tight, well-managed 1-0 or 1-1 looks less likely than another game with goals at both ends.
Only bets goals markets: totals, both teams to score and team goals. Prices every match from expected goals and shot volume before he looks at a line.
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