- Team form: FC Energie Cottbus are in strong form, winning three of their last five matches and thrashing RW Essen 5-3 last weekend.
- League positions: FC Energie Cottbus are in third place in the 3.Liga with 63 points from 34 matches, Viktoria Koln 1904 are 11th with 47 points.
- Home form: Viktoria Koln 1904 have split their last two home matches, winning one and losing one.
Cottbus in great form
FC Energie Cottbus are in good form in the 3.Liga, beating RW Essen 5-3 in the previous match. Claus-Dieter Wollitz’s men have a simple, pragmatic philosophy on the field, which revolves around compact defending and hitting teams on the counter with high tempo.
David Otto is the top scorer for Viktoria Koln 1904, scoring 9 in 34 league appearances this season, but he has three assists in his last five appearances to show the team have been scoring goals through him lately. Marian Wilhelm’s team have three wins and two losses in their last five, losing 2-0 at SC Verl last time out. His Viktoria Koln 1904 side like to play on the front foot, playing out of the back, looking for gaps in the first third and pressing high, looking to play at a high tempo and through the middle of the field.
Classic possession vs counter clash
Game expectation
There will be an attacking game on Sunday, and plenty of chances for both teams, who have shown themselves capable of scoring goals and conceding in recent weeks. Viktoria Koln 1904 will be looking to dictate the pace, Cottbus will look to exploit the spaces they leave on the break, it is a classic possession versus transition clash.
Odds and history
There is little to choose between the two sides at 1.53 for over 2.5 goals and 1.49 for both teams to score.
- The away side have been in better form and have a higher league position; the head-to-head record heavily favours Cottbus, who have won each of the last three meetings, including a 3-2 victory at home four months ago.
Engelhardt to punish Viktoria 1904
Erik Engelhardt is the main goal threat for the visitors, he has 20 goals in 34 appearances in the 3.Liga this season, and he’s in red-hot form, scoring five of Energie’s 12 goals in their last five matches.
FC Energie Cottbus have eight wins, two draws and six defeats from their 16 away matches in the 3.Liga this season, scoring 25 times. The odds on an away win are simply too good, as 1.97 is enough to take on this matchup, with Cottbus’ strong away record.
