Holstein Kiel
Bundesliga Play-offs
Finals
Sat , May 29 , 2021 18:00
1 - 5
Koln
Holstein Kiel
Koln
1 - 5
Koln must win the second leg of their play-off with Bundesliga 2 side Holstein Kiel to have any chance of avoiding being relegated to the second tier on Saturday. Read our Holstein Kiel vs Koln prediction and betting tips.
Automatic promotion slipped through Kiel's grasp on the final day of the regular Bundesliga 2 season, but they dusted themselves off to beat Koln in the play-off first leg on Wednesday. With a 1-0 aggregate lead to defend, all they have to do to secure a maiden top-flight promotion is avoid defeat at their Holstein-Stadion. Encouragingly, Ole Werner's side lost just four times on their patch in 2020/21 and famously took down record Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich on penalties in the DFB Cup second round. Home and away, meanwhile, they boasted the best defense in Bundesliga 2, conceding just 35 goals across 34 matches.
Die Störche (The Storks) gave little away in Koln, despite being without first-choice central midfield pairing Jonas Meffert and Alexander Mühling through suspension. Both men - who were on the books at Bayer Leverkusen early in their respective careers - are expected to be recalled, but left-back Johannes van den Bergh will miss the second leg after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season last time out. Since the play-off was re-introduced to the Bundesliga in 2008/09, only three Bundesliga 2 sides have earned promotion, with the top-flight side prevailing on nine occasions.
Kiel: Gelios - Neumann, Wahl (c), Komenda, Kirkeskov - Meffert, Mühling - Bartels, Lee, Reese - Serra
Out: Arslan (knee), Thesker (Achilles' tendon), van den Bergh (suspended)
Doubtful: -
Coach: Ole Werner
It's not the first time Koln has been in a win-or-bust situation. The Billy Goats got this far after claiming a last-gasp victory over relegated Schalke on Bundesliga Matchday 34, with results elsewhere working in their favor. On this occasion, the ball is exclusively in their court. A 1-0 triumph in Kiel will send the tie into extra time; a win by any other scoreline will be enough for a third successive season of Bundesliga football. A draw or defeat, on the other hand, will see incoming head coach Steffen Baumgart pick up the reins in Germany's second division. Incumbent Friedhelm Funkel is still sweating on the fitness of midfielder Elvis Rexbecaj, who was among the club's top Bundesliga scorers in 2020/21 with five goals. Leading marksman Ondrej Duda was deployed as a false nine last time out but could revert to his preferred attacking midfield role to accommodate out-and-out striker Sebastian Andersson.
Teenaged winger Jan Thielmann is also pushing for a start. Inaugural winners of the Bundesliga and three-time champions, the Billy Goats are looking to avoid dropping out of the top flight for the seventh time - all in the last 25 years. Funkel previously contested the play-off when he was in charge of Bochum. On that occasion in 2010/11, he was seeking promotion but lost 2-1 over two legs to Borussia Mönchengladbach. He has also previously been relegated with Koln in 2001/02.
Koln: T. Horn (c) - Schmitz, Bornauw, Czichos, Katterbach - Skhiri, Hector (c) - Wolf, Duda, Thielmann - Andersson
Out: -
Doubtful: Rexhbecaj (knock)
Coach: Friedhelm Funkel
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Kiel is the first Bundesliga 2 side to win a relegation play-off match in nine years, ending a winless run of 17 games for the lower-tier outfits. Fortuna Düsseldorf had been the last to do so when they won 2-1 at Hertha Berlin in 2011/12. BettingKick’s Holstein Kiel vs Koln prediction is: Both teams to score.
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4-2-3-1
Holstein Kiel
Koln
09.11.2024. | Werder | VS | Holstein Kiel | 2-1 |
L
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02.11.2024. | Holstein Kiel | VS | Heidenheim | 1-0 |
W
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29.10.2024. | Koln | VS | Holstein Kiel | 3-0 |
L
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26.10.2024. | Stuttgart | VS | Holstein Kiel | 2-1 |
L
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20.10.2024. | Holstein Kiel | VS | Union Berlin | 0-2 |
L
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05.10.2024. | Leverkusen | VS | Holstein Kiel | 2-2 |
D
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14.09.2024. | Holstein Kiel | VS | Bayern Munich | 1-6 |
L
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31.08.2024. | Holstein Kiel | VS | Wolfsburg | 0-2 |
L
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29.07.2024. | M'gladbach | VS | Holstein Kiel | 1-0 |
L
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07.10.2021. | Holstein Kiel | VS | Silkeborg | 0-0 |
D
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02.11.2024. | Holstein Kiel | VS | Heidenheim | 1-0 |
W
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20.10.2024. | Holstein Kiel | VS | Union Berlin | 0-2 |
L
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14.09.2024. | Holstein Kiel | VS | Bayern Munich | 1-6 |
L
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31.08.2024. | Holstein Kiel | VS | Wolfsburg | 0-2 |
L
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07.10.2021. | Holstein Kiel | VS | Silkeborg | 0-0 |
D
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02.10.2021. | Holstein Kiel | VS | Hansa Rostock | 0-2 |
L
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18.09.2021. | Holstein Kiel | VS | Hannover 96 | 0-3 |
L
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28.08.2021. | Holstein Kiel | VS | Erzgebirge Aue | 3-0 |
W
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14.08.2021. | Holstein Kiel | VS | Jahn Regensburg | 0-3 |
L
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01.08.2021. | Holstein Kiel | VS | Schalke | 0-3 |
L
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09.11.2024. | Werder | VS | Holstein Kiel | 2-1 |
L
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29.10.2024. | Koln | VS | Holstein Kiel | 3-0 |
L
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26.10.2024. | Stuttgart | VS | Holstein Kiel | 2-1 |
L
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05.10.2024. | Leverkusen | VS | Holstein Kiel | 2-2 |
D
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29.07.2024. | M'gladbach | VS | Holstein Kiel | 1-0 |
L
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25.09.2021. | Paderborn | VS | Holstein Kiel | 1-2 |
W
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11.09.2021. | Karlsruher SC | VS | Holstein Kiel | 2-2 |
D
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20.08.2021. | Fortuna Düsseldorf | VS | Holstein Kiel | 2-2 |
D
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07.08.2021. | Weiche Flensburg | VS | Holstein Kiel | 0-0 |
W
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25.07.2021. | St. Pauli | VS | Holstein Kiel | 3-0 |
L
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09.11.2024. | Koln | VS | Greuther Fürth | 1-0 |
W
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02.11.2024. | Hertha | VS | Koln | 0-1 |
W
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29.10.2024. | Koln | VS | Holstein Kiel | 3-0 |
W
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25.10.2024. | Koln | VS | Paderborn | 1-2 |
L
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18.10.2024. | Darmstadt 98 | VS | Koln | 5-1 |
L
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05.10.2024. | Koln | VS | Ulm | 2-0 |
W
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01.09.2024. | Schalke | VS | Koln | 1-3 |
W
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27.07.2024. | Udinese | VS | Koln | 2-3 |
W
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24.07.2024. | Koln | VS | Swansea | 2-1 |
W
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28.04.2024. | Mainz | VS | Koln | 1-1 |
D
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09.11.2024. | Koln | VS | Greuther Fürth | 1-0 |
W
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29.10.2024. | Koln | VS | Holstein Kiel | 3-0 |
W
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25.10.2024. | Koln | VS | Paderborn | 1-2 |
L
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05.10.2024. | Koln | VS | Ulm | 2-0 |
W
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24.07.2024. | Koln | VS | Swansea | 2-1 |
W
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15.03.2024. | Koln | VS | Leipzig | 1-5 |
L
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16.02.2024. | Koln | VS | Werder | 0-1 |
L
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01.10.2021. | Koln | VS | Greuther Fürth | 3-1 |
W
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18.09.2021. | Koln | VS | Leipzig | 1-1 |
D
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28.08.2021. | Koln | VS | Bochum | 2-1 |
W
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02.11.2024. | Hertha | VS | Koln | 0-1 |
W
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18.10.2024. | Darmstadt 98 | VS | Koln | 5-1 |
L
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01.09.2024. | Schalke | VS | Koln | 1-3 |
W
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27.07.2024. | Udinese | VS | Koln | 2-3 |
W
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28.04.2024. | Mainz | VS | Koln | 1-1 |
D
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13.04.2024. | Bayern Munich | VS | Koln | 2-0 |
L
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09.03.2024. | M'gladbach | VS | Koln | 3-3 |
D
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27.01.2024. | Wolfsburg | VS | Koln | 1-1 |
D
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15.10.2021. | Hoffenheim | VS | Koln | 5-0 |
L
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25.09.2021. | Eintracht Frankfurt | VS | Koln | 1-1 |
D
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Daniel Garcia is originally from Basque Country, and as a kid who grew up just a few streets from Mendizorrotza Stadium, the choice of Deportivo Alavés as his favourite club is more than obvious. Because of his studies, he moved to Madrid where he graduated in Sports Journalism. Daniel plays football on the weekends, but that does not stop him from watching all La Liga matches. He believes that the outcome of a match can be predicted if all the parameters are analyzed well, including form of the players and weather conditions. Currently he is living in Belgrade, and is in love with a Serbian girl who works as a journalist at one of the famous Sport Channels in Serbia.