Bundesliga: Koln, Gladbach Resume Rivalry in Rhine Derby

Koln vs Borussia Monchengladbach

With the international break all done and dusted, it’s back to Bundesliga action this weekend. And one of the standout matchups on this weekend’s schedule is the Rhine derby between Koln and Borussia Monchengladbach.

Koln, who have successfully made their way back to the top flight after spending last season in the second division, picked up their first points of the season as they defeated Freiburg just before the international break.

They will host rivals Borussia Monchengladbach, who suffered a heavy defeat at home to RB Leipzig in their last match before the break.

The Bundesliga 2019 odds point to another tight match between these two rivals, who will be desperate not to hand the other side valuable bragging rights.

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Talking Points

Koln off the mark

After losing their first two matches of the season — which included a 3-1 defeat to title challengers Borussia Dortmund — Koln are off the mark as they claimed a big 2-1 away win at Freiburg.

After going down 1-0 following a Rafael Czichos own goal, Koln staged a brave second-half rally. Anthony Modeste equalised on 52 minutes, then Ellyes Skhiri scored the dramatic winner in stoppage time. All three of Koln’s matches thus far have had a goal scored after 90 minutes.

Skhiri has had a strong start to the season. Aside from scoring the winner against Freiburg, the Tunisian midfielder has also assisted two of the team’s other three goals thus far this season.

Meanwhile, Modeste hasn’t taken long to get back to scoring in the Bundesliga. The 31-year-old Frenchman spent two Bundesliga seasons in Koln from 2015-17 and scored an impressive 40 goals in 68 league appearances.

He was particularly amazing in the 2016-17 season when he scored a career-best 25 league goals, which was third in the entire league behind Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Robert Lewandowski. Thanks to his efforts, Koln finished fifth and qualified for the Europa League.

Modeste then left Koln for Tianjin Quanjian in China; he scored 11 goals in just 20 league appearances over two seasons. He returned to Koln last year, where he scored six goals in 10 appearances in 2. Bundesliga.

With Skhiri and Modest in decent form to start the season, Koln will be a decent threat to score, especially at home.

Gladbach looking to recover from setback

After recording a big 3-1 win away to Mainz, Gladbach found themselves on the receiving end of a 3-1 beating at home against high-flying RB Leipzig just before the break. In-form striker Timo Werner fired in a hat-trick for Leipzig, while Breel Embolo grabbed a late consolation in the 90th minute.

Embolo, who came over this summer from Schalke, has already started creating Bundesliga 2019 highlights for the Foals. He has scored two goals in his first three matches, close to halfway toward last year’s total of five goals in 20 appearances.

Borussia Monchengladbach will attempt to claim their 55th win against Koln in Bundesliga — Breel Embolo moves to Borussia Monchengladbach from Schalke 04 this season

Embolo has helped Gladbach cope with the loss of star Thorgan Hazard, who left for Dortmund in the summer. He, Alassane Plea, and Marcus Thuram have shown promise as an attacking trio during the early part of the season.

None of those three were around when Gladbach last faced Koln in 2018. But veteran striker Raffael — who scored in a 2-1 Gladbach loss — is still around, as are most of the Gladbach backline.

The Gladbach defence will be eager to bounce back after getting hammered by Leipzig. Centre-back Matthias Ginter started both of Germany’s Euro 2020 qualifying matches during the international break, including their 2-0 win over Northern Ireland.

History

Borussia Monchengladbach lead the all-time series over Koln with 54 wins, 28 losses and 20 draws.

Gladbach have also had the advantage over Koln in recent meetings. They’ve won eight of the last 12 against their rivals, with three wins for Koln and a draw.

Being at home has proven to be quite an advantage in this fixture; the home team has won seven of the last 12 meetings. Although, Gladbach have also won three away from home.

Betting Tip

	Koln vs Borussia Monchengladbach	Koln 1X2 @ 2.63
	September 14, 21:30 (GMT+8)

The SBOBET odds for this match are very close. Despite being the home side, Koln are slight underdogs at 2.63 to win on the 1X2 market. Gladbach are priced at 2.59, while a draw is 3.30.

Recent history suggests there will be a winner in this match, and I predict it’ll be Koln. The RheinEnergieStadion should be rocking for this first Rhine derby since their return to the Bundesliga, which should give the players a nice boost.

And with Skhiri and Modeste in fine early-season form, they have the attacking talent to get after the Gladbach defence.