Koln take on the visitors Hamburger in the round 1 match of German Bundesliga 2. The match will be played on Friday, August 2nd at RheinEnergieStadion (Cologne).
FC Köln could have been relegated a few years ago, but they managed to secure the sixteenth position and then won the relegation play-offs. After that, the team was taken over by Baumgart, and under his guidance, they immediately jumped to seventh place. They even tried their luck in the Conference League, although they didn't achieve much there. Meanwhile, their performance in the Bundesliga worsened. The season before last ended relatively well, but the following season saw a disastrous first half, leading to the coach's dismissal at Christmas. However, even without Steffen, they couldn't improve after the winter break and finished second to last, resulting in direct relegation. Nevertheless, the team hasn't disbanded significantly, and there are even some interesting newcomers like Waldschmidt. The new coach, Struber, has started with a series of wins, albeit in friendly matches—let's see what happens in official games.
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Hamburg can't seem to escape their unpleasant niche. The "Rothosen" went from being a mainstay in the 1st Bundesliga (having played every season there, unlike even Bayern) to a club that can't seem to return. They've only participated in the play-offs once, in 2023, where they lost to Stuttgart, who were preparing for their next surprising surge. Last season, they finished fourth once again, missing the play-offs entirely. From late winter, the "Dinosaurs" played under the guidance of... Baumgart, who was taken in after his dismissal from Köln. However, he has now completed a full preseason with his team, and expectations are different compared to when he had to fix things on the fly. Meanwhile, Benes has left for Union Berlin, and it remains to be seen if they can replace the Hungarian, who was both a playmaker and a scorer.
Since 2019, after Hamburg's relegation from the Bundesliga, the teams have only met once, in a cup match in early 2022. The "Rothosen" won on penalties after a 0-0 draw in regular time and 1-1 in extra time, despite being away. Exactly a year later, the "Billy Goats" convincingly took revenge with a 4-0 win during a winter training camp, but that was in a friendly format. The "Billy Goats" are hosting their opponents at home and are showing good form. We predict they will secure a victory here.
Prediction for the match: Koln to win.
