Cologne vs Werder Bremen
German Bundesliga
Friday
16th February 2024
RheinEnergieStadion
The most comprehensive preview, detailed analysis and reliable predictions of the Bundesliga fixture between Cologne and Werder Bremen.
Cologne vs Werder Bremen: Preview
Cologne form analysis
FC Cologne’s last five Bundesliga games started with a 1-1 home draw against Heidenheim on January 13th. D. Selke put Cologne ahead in the 29th minute before Heidenheim equalized through A. Beck in the 55th. On January 20th, Cologne faced a tough away match against Borussia Dortmund and were comprehensively beaten 4-0, with Dortmund scoring through D. Malen, N. Füllkrug and Y. Moukoko. Looking to bounce back, Cologne hosted Wolfsburg on January 27th and went ahead via F. Alidou before conceding to K.
Paredes as the game finished 1-1. Cologne got back to winning ways on February 3rd, beating Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 at home courtesy of goals from F. Alidou and J. Thielmann. Most recently on February 11th, Cologne drew 1-1 away to Hoffenheim after going ahead through M. Finkgräfe before conceding late to A. Kramarić. Overall, Cologne have had inconsistent form so far this season. They’ve struggled defensively, conceding in every game and letting in 4 goals away to Dortmund. But they’ve shown attacking promise, scoring in each match including wins over Frankfurt and nearly Hoffenheim. Addressing defensive lapses while maintaining offensive production will be key if Cologne are to climb the Bundesliga table.
Werder Bremen form analysis
Werder Bremen’s last five Bundesliga fixtures started with a 1-1 away draw against Bochum on January 14th. Bremen conceded first to P. Osterhage before equalizing late through N. Stark. On January 21st, Bremen pulled off a huge upset, beating Bayern Munich 1-0 away thanks to a 59th minute goal from M. Weiser. Riding this momentum, on January 27th Bremen hosted Freiburg and earned an impressive 3-1 win, with goals from M. Ducksch, J. Njinmah and J. Malatini after going down early to a V. Grifo penalty.
Bremen continued their strong form with a 1-0 away win against Mainz on February 3rd courtesy of an early M. Ducksch goal. However, the momentum came to a halt on February 10th as Bremen lost 2-1 at home to Heidenheim, going down 2-0 early before R. Schmid pulled one back. Overall, Bremen have had a promising start with big wins over Bayern and Freiburg showing their potential. But the loss to Heidenheim displayed they can be inconsistent. Maintaining their strong offensive form while shoring up defensive lapses will be key if Bremen are to make a push for the top table.
Cologne vs Werder Bremen: Prediction
All but one of the last six Bundesliga fixtures at this venue has witnessed two or fewer goals. A similar occurrence was observed in Werder Bremen’s last five league matches on the road. With these stats taken into consideration, a high scoring fixture is unlikely from this game.
The visitors are undefeated in their last four Bundesliga matches on the road. And head into this game with back to back wins at home. They are certain to make things very difficult for a side with just one win in home league matches.
