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Bayer Leverkusen vs. 1. FC Köln
Just three days after the Europa League round of 16 first leg at Atalanta Bergamo, Bayer Leverkusen’s next important game in the Bundesliga is already underway. Their opponents are 1. FC Köln on Sunday afternoon at the BayArena. The match will kick off at 15:30.
The duel “old against young” can be observed twice this Bundesliga weekend. The average age of all Cologne players is 27.1 years – only Union (28.7) and Bochum (28.1) rely more on experience. In Leverkusen, on the other hand, the focus is on youth. The average age of all players is 24.7 years – only Stuttgart (24.2) is even younger. On Saturday, the oldest squad will duel with the youngest at Union against Stuttgart, and just one day later, the second youngest squad will meet the third oldest squad of all Bundesliga teams.
In our Leverkusen vs. Cologne tip, you can read whether we see Team Old or Team Young as having the advantage and what other predictions we would make for this Rhine derby.
Leverkusen – Cologne Info
– Date & Time: 13.03.2021, 15:30 Uhr
– Venue: Leverkusen, BayArena
– Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 26
– TV broadcast: DAZN
Leverkusen Form & Balance Check
Bayer Leverkusen are playing a really good Rückrunde so far. The Werkself have already collected a proud 17 points in their eight games in the second half of the season, making them the second-best team in the league behind RB Leipzig (19) in that period. A win against Cologne would take Leverkusen’s tally to 20 points and they would then have already reached the mark of the complete second half of last season after just nine games. This is undoubtedly proof of how much Leverkusen has stabilised this year. Most recently, the Werkself even gave FC Bayern a great fight and in the end fought their way to a 1-1 draw away.
Bayer are a power at home
However, it is imperative that they score three points at home again in order to secure third place in the table and keep their chances of the runners-up championship alive. Statistically, however, this should not be a problem. Bayer is unbeaten at home for seven Bundesliga games (5S, 2U) and recently celebrated three home wins in a row for the first time this season. The 5-1 win over Augsburg was followed by a 4-2 win over Stuttgart before Arminia Bielefeld were beaten 3-0 on the penultimate matchday.
Leverkusen facts & analysis
– 45 points from 25 games
– Last played 1:1 against Bayern
– Unbeaten for 7 home games
– Last 3 home games: 12 goals scored
Cologne form & balance check
1. FC Köln were beaten 1-0 by TSG Hoffenheim on the last matchday, suffering only their third home defeat of the current season. Statistically, however, a point should now follow in Leverkusen, as there have never been two Bundesliga defeats in a row for the Cathedral City side under coach Stefan Baumgart. Cologne have also never gone goalless twice in a row this Bundesliga season. However, a look at the last few games – especially the last few home games – suggests that there could soon be a first in this regard.
Effzeh only with few goals
Because somehow 1. FC Köln has lost its scoring threat a little since the turn of the year. In the last five Bundesliga games, the Effzeh have scored only four goals, never more than one per game. In the last six home games, Cologne fans have been able to cheer on just three goals from their team, again never more than one per game. In the seven home games before that, an impressive 17 goals were scored (an average of 2.42 per game). Nevertheless, Steffen Baumgart should not have been too hard on his team, as more goals were often not necessary due to the stable defence. The aforementioned three Cologne goals in the last six home games have all been enough for a 1:0 home win.
Cologne facts & analysis
– 36 points from 25 games
– Last lost 0:1 against Hoffenheim
– Only 4 goals in last 5 matches
– Still picked up 7 points in that period
Predicted line-up – last update on 11 March 2022
For the Werkself, Lucas Alario will once again replace the injured Patrik Schick. Otherwise, only substitute keeper Lunev is out for sure. The fitness of the injured Robert Andrich is still questionable. There could be a few changes in the starting eleven due to the English week, but we believe that coach Seoane will send his best eleven into the race in the derby.
On the Cologne side, Mark Uth will be out due to a positive Corona test. Either Ondrej Duda or Jan Thielmann should play in his place. Otherwise, there are no personnel problems. Timo Hübers and Jonas Hector are available again.
🗣 Seoane: “I haven’t decided 100% yet in which basic formation we will play. We are still analysing the latest data and images today and waiting for the medical staff’s feedback. “B04KOE Bayer04 Bundesliga pic. twitter.com/HMgCg4yLXp
– Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04fussball) March 11, 2022
Leverkusen – Cologne direct comparison & Statistics
The overall direct comparison goes to the Werkself from Leverkusen with 29 wins to 17 and 26 draws. The record of the last five encounters also favours Bayer with 3 to 1 wins and one draw. After Cologne won two home games in a row 2-0, the Werkself won the following three encounters (3-1, 0-4, 3-0) all before the teams parted with a 2-2 draw in the first leg of the current season.
– A year ago, 1. FC Köln were in 14th position in the table with 22 points. They are currently in 8th position (36).
– The last duel ended in a draw. (2-2)
– A look at Bayer Leverkusen: Patrik Schick is the top scorer with 20 goals. Anthony Modeste scored 15 times for 1. FC Köln.
– Will the streak continue? Bayer Leverkusen have always scored in their last 12 matches.
– Florian Wirtz has the most assists for Bayer Leverkusen with 11. For 1. FC Köln, Benno Erik Schmitz (4) is in the lead.
