Arminia Bielefeld have changed their coach, but Kevin Hatchard doesn’t believe all of their problems will magically disappear in Cologne this weekend.
Kramer KO won’t solve issues
Koln v Arminia Bielefeld
Saturday 23 April, 14:30
Live on Betfair Live Video
It’s the time of year when clubs panic and start making drastic decisions, and Arminia Bielefeld have kicked out coach Frank Kramer with four matches left, and the team in the automatic relegation zone. Kramer steadied the ship midway through last season, and while his football was routinely dull, it was at least largely effective considering the limited players at his disposal. Bielefeld only avoided the drop on the final day of last season, thanks to a nail-biting win at Stuttgart.
Kramer’s ejection isn’t a surprise when you bear in mind the team has been in freefall for nearly two months. They have collected a solitary point from the last seven matches, and they have scored just one goal in that time. Indeed, goalscoring has been a problem since Arminia came into the league, with the club averaging well below a goal a game in the Bundesliga since the start of last season. Last season’s best attacking player, Japanese international Ritsu Doan, returned to PSV after his loan spell. 20-year-old Austrian maverick Patrick Wimmer has great promise, and has delivered three goals and six assists, but he can’t do everything on his own.
Kramer has been replaced by long-serving goalkeeping coach Marco Kostmann, who has been credited with developing Stefan Ortega into one of the league’s best keepers. However, it’s tough to see Arminia picking up points away to a Köln team chasing Europe that is on a high after back-to-back wins against Mainz and Borussia Mönchengladbach. The derby win over the Foals was particularly impressive, with Köln completely dominant against more illustrious opponents.
Köln have players in form, especially in attack, and they have won five of their last nine home matches. I’ll happily back them -1 on the Asian Handicap here at 1.9420/21.
Buoyant Hertha can edge to safety
Hertha Berlin v Stuttgart
Saturday 23 April, 14:30
Live on Betfair Live Video
Hertha Berlin did pretty much everything you need to in order to win a relegation six-pointer last week at Augsburg. They got a bit of luck early on, as the hosts missed some presentable chances. They defended heroically, worked hard, and found a piece of match-winning magic from midfielder Suat Serdar, whose cheeky back-flick led to the only goal of the game.
It means that since legendary taskmaster Felix Magath took charge, Hertha have won two and lost two in the Bundesliga, and they are a point ahead of Stuttgart in the relegation battle, with VfB in the playoff spot. For a team that has fought the drop pretty much all season, Hertha’s home record isn’t as bad as you might think, with just seven defeats in 15.
Stuttgart ground out a goalless draw at Mainz last weekend, and had chances to win the game, but the fear is that they simply rely too heavily on star striker Sasa Kalajdzic. When the Austrian can’t escape his markers, as was the case in Mainz, the team really struggles to find the net. Stuttgart have scored just one goal across their last three games, and they have failed to score at all in four of their last eight away matches.
I think these two should be closer together in the Match Odds market, and we can back Hertha +0 & +0.5 on the Asian Handicap at 1.84/5. If the game ends in a draw, we get a half-win, and we get a full pay-out if Hertha claim maximum points. Stuttgart have only won one away game all season, and that was back in December.
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Source: Betfair German
