Odds overview
Cologne are favourites: a Cologne win is available at around 2.05, compared with 3.30 for Schalke and 3.90 for the draw. Over 2.5 goals is offered at 1.62, against 2.30 for Under 2.5 goals. For the handicap (0), Cologne Draw No Bet at 1.55 is shorter than Schalke Draw No Bet at 2.45.
Why Cologne are favourites
Bookmakers offer odds of 2.05 for a Cologne win, 3.30 for a Schalke win and 3.90 for a draw.
- Schalke remain near the bottom of the table: after 6 matches in the 2026/27 Bundesliga, they have 5 points and sit 15th, with just 1 win and a goal difference of 4:7.
- The visitors have the league's least productive attack: Schalke average just 0.67 goals per match, putting them last on that measure ahead of this fixture.
Form and Line-up Cologne
Cologne lost 0:1 away to Eintracht Frankfurt in the previous round, conceding the only goal in the 78th minute after a long spell of even play. At home, however, they have shown consistent attacking intent: the two sides combined for more than 26.5 shot attempts in 9 of their last 10 Bundesliga home matches.
- All 6 of Cologne's Bundesliga matches in 2026/27 have finished with Under 5.5 goals.
- Cologne committed fewer than 11.5 fouls in 9 of their last 10 Bundesliga home matches.
- Fewer than 2.5 first-half goals were scored in all 6 of Cologne's Bundesliga matches in 2026/27.
Probable line-up (3-3-2-2): Marvin Schwäbe, Joël Schmied, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, Luka Lochoshvili, Sebastian Sebulonsen, Tom Krauß, Borna Sosa, Isak Bergmann Johannesson, Linton Maina, Marius Bülter, Said El Mala
Form and Line-up Schalke
Schalke lost 0:1 at home to Mainz 05 in the last round, struggling to create danger in the final third despite three early saves from Loris Karius. They have been similarly restrained away from home: in 8 of their last 10 Bundesliga away matches, they registered fewer than 5.5 shots on target.
- Schalke's matches have the lowest average goal total in the 2026/27 Bundesliga — 1.84 goals per game across 6 rounds.
- There were more than 8.5 corners in 8 of Schalke's last 10 Bundesliga away matches.
- Schalke players received fewer than 2.5 yellow cards in 8 of their last 10 Bundesliga away matches.
Probable line-up (4-2-3-1): Loris Karius, Hasan Kuruçay, Timo Becker, Robin Gosens, Edin Džeko, Satoshi Tanaka, Adrian Gantenbein, Kenan Karaman, Soufiane El-Faouzi, Adil Aouchiche, Nikola Katić
Teams' chances
Cologne to win: odds of 2.05, fair odds of 2.15 and a 46.6% probability. Draw: 3.90, fair odds of 4.08 and a 24.5% probability. Schalke to win: 3.30, fair odds of 3.46 and a 28.9% probability.
| Outcome | Average odds | Average fair odds | Probability without margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cologne to win | 2.05 | 2.15 | 46.6% |
| Draw | 3.90 | 4.08 | 24.5% |
| Schalke to win | 3.30 | 3.46 | 28.9% |
Total goals prediction
At the 2.5-goal line, Over 2.5 goals has shorter odds of 1.62 than Under 2.5 goals at 2.30. At the 3.5-goal line, Under 3.5 goals is favoured at 1.55, compared with 2.40 for Over 3.5 goals.
| Line | Under | Over |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5 | 2.30 | 1.62 |
| 3.5 | 1.55 | 2.40 |
Handicap prediction
Cologne (-1.5) are available at 3.40 and Schalke (-1.5) at 5.70. For the +1.5 handicap, Cologne (+1.5) and Schalke (+1.5) are offered at 1.09 and 1.27 respectively. Cologne (-1) are quoted at 2.75 against 5.00 for Schalke (-1); at +1, the respective odds are 1.12 and 1.40. With a handicap of 0, Cologne (0) have shorter odds of 1.55 than Schalke (0) at 2.45.
| Home | Handicap | Away |
|---|---|---|
| 3.40 | -1.5 | 5.70 |
| 1.09 | 1.5 | 1.27 |
| 2.75 | -1 | 5.00 |
| 1.12 | 1 | 1.40 |
| 1.55 | 0 | 2.45 |
Both teams to score prediction
Both teams to score — Yes is available at 1.55, while Both teams to score — No is offered at 2.40; the latter means at least one team would fail to score in the match.
| Both teams to score | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yes | 1.55 |
| No | 2.40 |
Double chance forecast
Odds are current as of the material publication date
Team total goals prediction
Bookmakers have set the following team goal totals for this match: Cologne — 1.5 goals; Schalke — 1 goal.
Cologne team total goals
Cologne's team total: Over 0.5 goals has shorter odds of 1.13 than Under 0.5 goals at 4.80; at the 1-goal line, Over 1 goal is 1.27 and Under 1 goal is 3.45. The odds for 1.5 goals are close: Under 1.5 goals is 1.90 and Over 1.5 goals is 1.85. At the 2-goal line, Under 2 goals at 1.45 is favoured over Over 2 goals at 2.65.
| Under | Team total | Over |
|---|---|---|
| 4.80 | 0.5 | 1.13 |
| 3.45 | 1 | 1.27 |
| 1.90 | 1.5 | 1.85 |
| 1.45 | 2 | 2.65 |
Schalke team total goals
Schalke's team total: Over 0.5 goals is available at 1.28, compared with 3.35 for Under 0.5 goals; at the 1-goal line, Over 1 goal is 1.57 and Under 1 goal is 2.35. At 1.5 goals, Under 1.5 goals has shorter odds of 1.55, while Over 1.5 goals is 2.35.
| Under | Team total | Over |
|---|---|---|
| 3.35 | 0.5 | 1.28 |
| 2.35 | 1 | 1.57 |
| 1.55 | 1.5 | 2.35 |
Who Will Referee the Match
Harm Osmers (Germany)
Matches — 15 (Bundesliga, 2025/26–2026/27);
Average fouls per match — 20;
Average yellow cards per match (including second yellows) — 4.3;
Matches with a red card — 0 out of 15;
Matches with a penalty — 6 out of 15.
