Cologne vs Wolfsburg

RheinEnergieStadion forms the backdrop for an exciting Bundesliga showdown between Cologne and Wolfsburg.

Last season’s 11th-place finish broke manager Steffen Baumgart’s heart after his side showed potential for a fight in the upper half of the table throughout an exhausting campaign. Cologne gave Borussia Dortmund a run for their money in their opening 2023/24 Bundesliga outing, conceding in the 88th minute in a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat at Signal Iduna Park. Back to the RheinEnergieStadion, the ‘Billy Goats’ will be keen on avoiding back-to-back league losses ‘to nil,’ an unwanted feat they only experienced once since February 2021. However, that could prove an uphill task, considering they’ve lost both home league matches against Wolfsburg under Baumgart without scoring, not to mention their miserable all-time H2H record in the top flight (W8, D10, L16).

In stark contrast to Cologne’s underwhelming start, Wolfsburg enjoyed an impressive 2023/24 Bundesliga opener, building on a 6-0 demolition of lower-league TuS Makkabi Berlin in the DFB-Pokal with a 2-0 home win over Bundesliga newcomers Heidenheim. They notably scored two unanswered goals within the opening 30 minutes of play on both occasions, highlighting the potential for a quick-fire start. Manager Niko Kovac will expect nothing else after overseeing back-to-back away league defeats by 2+ goals ‘to nil’ toward the end of last season. Interestingly, since a 2-2 draw at Schalke in February, none of Wolfsburg’s subsequent six Bundesliga travels have ended level (W3, L3).