German Bundesliga - Cologne vs. Fortuna Dusseldorf - Preview & Prediction
Two teams, both coming off draws last weekend, will try to earn more than just a point this time around, as 16th-placed Fortuna Dusseldorf is paying a visit to 10th-placed Cologne. Kick-off - at 12:00 noon ET on Sunday, May 24.
Cologne Earn A Point Versus Mainz
Cologne was on course to bank their fourth consecutive league victory when resuming their Bundesliga campaign last weekend, but eventually were forced to settle for a single point, playing out a 2-2 home draw against Mainz at RheinEnergieStadion on Sunday. Mark Uth, who had banked six markers in nine previous outings versus the Zero-Fivers opened the scoring with a 6th-minute penalty before Florian Kainz made it 2-0 at the start of the second half, only for the visitors to find the back of the net on two occasions in the last 30 minutes of the game. The Billy Goats remain 10th in the league with a W10 D3 L13 record, sitting six points outside the Top 6.
Colombian striker Jhon Cordoba leads Cologne with 10 snipes in 22 outings (16 starts) but has gone two contests without a goal after netting all 10 tallies in 12 games prior. Goalie Timo Horn, meanwhile, sits 11th in the Bundesliga with 67 saves in 26 starts, having recorded six clean sheets. He gives up a goal every 50 minutes on average. Cologne is 6th in most goals netted this year (41), 9th in most shots taken (13.1 per game), and 13th in both ball possession (46.9%) and passing accuracy (76.1%).
Dusseldorf Draw In Paderborn
Not much fortune was on Fortuna Dusseldorf’s side after the team didn’t do its relegation battle any favors after sharing a scoreless draw with fellow strugglers Paderborn at MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA on Saturday. Die Flingeraner outshot the visitors 10-7 but managed to hit the target just once, with four shots ending up rattling the woodwork, as Valon Berisha hit the post on two separate occasions. Fortuna Dusseldorf have lost just one of their last seven contests (W1 D5 L1), but still occupies the 16th position in the Bundesliga (W5 D8 L13), facing a relegation playoff game as it stands, sitting four points outside safety.
German forward Rouwen Hennings has picked up a team-high 11 snipes so far this season but has failed to find the back of the net in nine straight league appearances, with his last contribution coming in a 2-1 home victory against Union Berlin on Dec. 22. Goalie Florian Kastenmeier, meanwhile, occupies the 21st place in the league in most saves (31), having also notched two clean sheets in nine starts. He concedes a goal every 58 minutes. Fortuna Dusseldorf are bottom of the league in most goals scored this year (27), 14th in shots recorded (12.3 per game), 15th in ball possession (46.0%) and 11th in passing accuracy (77.2%).
Prediction
The previous contest between the two teams in Cologne finished with a 1-1 drawback in July 2013, when both sides were still playing in 2. Bundesliga. Expect the hosts to perform a tad better this time around, though! The Billy Goats have lost just three of their past 12 league contests (W8 D1 L3), while Fortuna Dusseldorf has triumphed in just two of their 13 travels in the Bundesliga so far this year (W2 D4 L7), allowing a total of 27 strikes along the way. Expect Cologne’s top scorer Jhon Cordoba to be one of the players to get off the mark versus Die Flingeraner on Sunday as well. The Colombian leads his side with 10 goals, with eight of them scored on own turf.
Best bets:
Cologne to win (-135)
Jhon Cordoba to score anytime (+130)
