1st FC Cologne – SV Darmstadt 98 betting tip
The 30th matchday of the Bundesliga will see a landmark game for both teams involved at the RheinEnergieSTADION in Cologne.
The penultimate team, 1. FC Köln, will host the bottom team, SV Darmstadt. The visitors, who are already as good as relegated, could already be mathematically confirmed as the future second division team after this matchday.
Even an away win would not help the Lilies if Mainz win in Freiburg a day later. Speaking of Mainz: FSV in the relegation place is Cologne’s goal, but they would not even reach it with a win
A home win is all the more important to keep their chances of staying in the relegation places alive. For the bookies, the Effzeh are the clear favorites and I also see the hosts ahead here.
Due to the weak defense of the Hessians, I assume that the Geißböcke will score several times and start scoring in the first half.
My Cologne Darmstadt prediction therefore ultimately aims for the hosts to score a goal in both halves. The bookmaker Betway has interesting odds of 2.15 for this bet
The oddsmakers’ forecast?
The bookmakers from our sportsbook comparison clearly favor the hosts. Even the Cologne Darmstadt betting tip “Double chance X2” still offers odds of up to 2.65.
The odds for the goal bets are striking: While there are betting odds of up to 1.78 for the “Both teams to score” option, the top value for the “Over 2.5 goals” bet is just 1.65.
This means that the bookies consider three goals from one team to be more likely than both teams scoring. Since the bookies favor Cologne, the cathedral cities alone should be able to score these three goals
Analysis: Cologne vs Darmstadt
After the last-minute win against Bochum, when Cologne were 1-0 down at home until the 90th minute and still won 2-1 in the end, they faced a tough away game at Bayern last weekend.
The Effzeh were able to keep a clean sheet for over an hour, but ultimately deserved to lose 2-0, meaning that the three-pointer against VfL remains Cologne’s only win in the last nine matchdays (4U, 4N).
As a result of Mainz’s success against Hoffenheim at the same time, the Billy Goats are currently four points behind the relegation places as the penultimate team in the table.
Even a win would leave Cologne in 17th place, but with only five games remaining, a three-pointer is all the more important. A loss, on the other hand, could see the gap widen to an almost unassailable seven points
With 23 goals, the Effzeh still have the most harmless offense in the Bundesliga. Prior to the match against Bayern, Cologne had scored in four games in a row, scoring a total of seven goals.
On the other hand, the Geißböcke have one of the worst defenses in the German top flight, conceding 51 goals. Cologne have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of the last nine matchdays.
In this respect, the Cologne Darmstadt betting tip “Both teams to score” is anything but absurd, especially as the Lilies want to sell themselves dearly again on the last few matchdays.
At NEObet, for example, there are good odds of 2.02 for the combination “Double chance 1X & Both teams to score”, which is definitely worth considering
Analysis of odds
Cologne have kept a clean sheet in just two of their 14 Bundesliga home games this season. Most recently, they have conceded nine goals in four home games.
Darmstadt are also a team that never gives up and always fights to the end. Even if the possibilities are perhaps limited, the Lilies can certainly be trusted to score a goal on their farewell tour on Saturday.
It could be a high-scoring match, especially as the visitors are known to have the worst defense in the Bundesliga.
For this reason, Cologne Darmstadt betting on “Over 3.5 goals” would also be an alternative for me, with odds of up to 2.60.
Such a bet is particularly lucrative if you can place it thanks to a betting bonus. At the moment, for example, I can highly recommend the Interwetten bonus
Lilies on farewell tour
The tip that at least the South Hessians won’t be able to keep a clean sheet here is considered a bank. With 72 goals conceded, they have by far the worst defense in the Bundesliga.
In the last six matchdays alone, SVD have conceded 20 goals, an average of almost 3.5 goals per game. Yet last weekend, for once, it was only one …
But even this goal was enough to see Darmstadt lose their home game against Freiburg 1-0 and thus remain without a win for the 22nd Bundesliga match in a row. Darmstadt have lost 15 of their last 22 games.
With a twelve-point gap to the relegation places, a goal difference of -44 and only five games remaining, it would take an unprecedented Bundesliga miracle for the Lilies to stay in the league after all
Darmstadt want to say goodbye with dignity
In the current season, SVD have only managed one win in 14 away games. Otherwise, there have been five draws and eight defeats, which means 16th place overall in the away table.
Darmstadt have only lost two of their last five games away from home (3U). However, if you want to portray such figures as halfway positive, then you know how bad the Lilies actually are.
In their last away match in Mainz, they went down 4-0. In four of the last six matchdays, they have not scored a goal themselves.
And yet I still think they can score a goal on Saturday. It wouldn’t be the first time that a team knowing they’ve (actually) already been relegated has suddenly played with complete freedom
The first leg at the Bölle was won 1:0 by Cologne. That was the only away win for the Billy Goats so far this Bundesliga season.
The last previous direct encounter, on the other hand, was almost five years ago and cannot really be used as a reference
Before the 0:1 home defeat against Sport-Club, Darmstadt had conceded at least two goals in five Bundesliga matches in a row and even at least four in three out of five.
The Lilies conceded at least one goal in each of the ten halves. This streak was interrupted by the last game against SCF. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens again this time!
My Cologne Darmstadt tip:
Darmstadt have scored in Mönchengladbach, Bremen and Bochum in recent weeks. I wouldn’t completely rule out a point for the Hessians, even if they are the clear underdogs here.
The one thing the Lilies have always been able to rely on recently is conceding goals. And there should be goals this time too. Cologne have to win this game, otherwise they could find themselves a long way away from relegation.
With the home fans behind them and the memories of the last-minute win against Bochum, the Billy Goats will take control of the game.
SVD have regularly conceded goals in each half recently. That’s why my Cologne Darmstadt tip is: Cologne will score in both halves
