FC Koln hosts Holstein Kiel in the first leg of the Bundesliga relegation playoffs final. The match will be played on Wednesday, May 26th at the RheinEnergieStadion (Cologne)
Thanks to the limpness of Werder Bremen, which scored only one point in the last ten matches of the championship, and the victory over Schalke in the last round, FC Koln managed to get ahead of the Green-Whites by two points and leave the penultimate place. And now the Billy Goats will participate in the playoffs.
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Holstein Kiel had never played in the top division. Two rounds before the finish of the completed Bundesliga 2 championship, the team had a unique chance to get there without any playoffs, as at that time the Storks were two points ahead of the third Greuther Furth. However, something incomprehensible happened, and Holstein Kiel lost two last matches to the teams that did not need anything in the tournament (the 6th Karlsruher and the 7th Darmstadt). The last defeat was at home. And Greuther Furth scored all six possible points in the last two championship games.
So, what happened to Kiel? After all, regardless of the result of Furth's game, a victory in the last home round could bring it to the elite. Moreover, the Storks opened the scoring by the 18th minute but failed the second part of the match. And the point is most likely in psychology. Most experts think so, and I share their opinion. And now a logical question arises — will Holstein Kiel be able to recover from such a shock in four days? Unlikely. Beyond that, FC Koln is simply more qualified and more experienced than the upcoming opponent. Secondly, the Goats have a completely opposite situation with a moral state. They scored ten points in the last five rounds. That is, the team has been on the rise for more than a month and even beat the future vice-champion Leipzig. Last but not least, all this is connected with the change of the coach. Experienced 67-year-old Funkel, who was invited to the coaching post, managed to find a common language with the players, to raise the quality of their game on the pitch, and to improve the atmosphere in the dressing room. I think the more eminent and morally stable club will be stronger than the mentally broken Holstein Kiel.
Prediction for the match: FC Koln to win
