Cologne vs Holsten Kiel Predictions

When they lost away against Paderborn around six week ago, Koln handed the advantage in the title race to Hamburg, though they since become masters of their ow destiny by winning four on the spin. As things stand, Koln, who have played a game less than each of their pursuers, are currently a point clear at the top and are very much in the driving seat.

In truth, it’s very tough to criticise the recent efforts of Koln, who’ve now won four on the bounce. Last time out was a prime example of why Saturday’s hosts are favourites to go up as champions. They didn’t give a great deal a way, while they simply overpowered their opponents in terms of attacking quality. A repeat of that effort would likely see Koln extend their winning run.

In terms of their efforts at home, Koln have impressed at almost every turn this season. The Billy Goats have scored a staggering average of 3.08 goals at home this season, while they’ve also impressed in terms of expected goals, averaging 2.28 in front of a home crowd. It would be wrong to say that they’ve been flawless at the back, but their excellent attacking efforts have almost always outweighed any defensive deficiencies, which is why they boast an average expected goal difference of +1.27 and an average goal difference of +1.7.

While Koln have been virtually unstoppable at home, Kiel have done a decent job of competing on the road, especially from an offensive point of view. Sunday’s visitors come into this match having lost just one of their last nine travelling matches, while they’ve scored at least once in each of those eight, scoring more than once in six of those.

In fact, Kiel can be described as a very good attacking outfit on the road. Tim Walter’s men have scored a very pleasing average of 1.85 goals on their travels, while they’re also averaging a decent 1.64 expected goals for. Recent numbers of 1.99 and 2.91 suggest that the visitors can most certainly get involved from an offensive point of view at RheinEnergieSTADION on Sunday afternoon.

As two very strong attacking sides lock horns, the bet that stands out is ‘Over 2.5 Goals & Both Teams to Score’. With the hosts having scored a ridiculous average of 3.08 goals at home and with Keil having scored a pleasing 1.85 on the road, backing the goals to flow is hard not to do, especially when the pair have averaged a combined 3.92 expected goals for in their respective home and away games.