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RB Leipzig vs. 1. FC Köln
On Matchday 2 of the Bundesliga, Champions League participant RB Leipzig will face Europa League participant 1. FC Köln at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig. The match will be played in conference time on Saturday afternoon at 15.30.
The hosts are still waiting for their first win of the season after a 5-3 defeat against Bayern in the Supercup and a 1-1 draw in the Bundesliga opener in Stuttgart. There have never been three games without a win under Domenico Tedesco. The Effzeh, on the other hand, have won their opening game of the Bundesliga season, as they did in the first year under Steffen Baumgart. In 2021 there was a 3:1 home win against Hertha BSC, in 2022 a 3:1 home win against Schalke 04.
The last time the Cathedral City side celebrated two wins on the first two matchdays was in the 2005/06 season. Find out whether we think Cologne can repeat this scenario now and what other predictions we would make for this match in our Leipzig vs Cologne tip.
Leipzig – Cologne info:
– Date & Time: 13.08.2022, 15:30 Uhr
– Venue: Red Bull Arena, Leipzig
– Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 2
– TV broadcast: Sky
Leipzig Form & Balance Check
This is certainly not how RB Leipzig had imagined starting the new season. After the clear 3:5 defeat against FC Bayern in the Supercup, in which RB was already trailing 0:3 at half-time, the Saxons also failed to win their first match in the Bundesliga. Domenico Tedesco’s team had to settle for just one point at VfB Stuttgart as Leipzig failed to convert their superiority into goals. The early goal by shooting star Christopher Nkunku (6th) was equalised by Nouirou Ahamada in the 31st minute for a 1-1 final score.
Wasting chances costs RB the win
However, this was primarily not due to a lack of creativity or enthusiasm for the game, but simply due to the negligent use of chances. Dani Olmo & Co. scored a proud 27 goals in Stuttgart – the most in a Bundesliga game under Tedesco. It is even a new historic record for a Bundesliga away game for Leipzig.
The Saxons are therefore already under quite a bit of pressure against Cologne. If RB can’t score three points in their second game of the season, they could be in danger of making a false start in view of the tough programme in the coming weeks (Union, Wolfsburg, Frankfurt, Dortmund, Gladbach). The faint hopes of challenging Bayern for the championship this year could be buried much earlier than hoped.
Leipzig facts & analysis
– Still winless after 2 competitive games
– Last played 1:1 against Stuttgart
– Made 27 shots on goal in Stuttgart – new away record in Bundesliga
Cologne form & balance check
In contrast to RB Leipzig, 1. FC Köln started the new Bundesliga season with a win for the second time in a row. Against the promoted team from Gelsenkirchen, the Effzeh won 3:1 at the end of Matchday 1. However, the Cologne team played about 65 minutes there outnumbered, as Schalke’s Dominik Drexler had already seen a somewhat questionable red card in the 35th minute. The goals by Kilian (49th), Kainz (62nd) and Ljubicic (80th) were all scored after the sending off.
Goal festival against S04
Nevertheless, we don’t want to badmouth the opening win, as it’s not a matter of course to keep calm and patiently create chances even when outnumbered. In addition, the figures for the game show that the victory should have been even higher. Cologne’s xGoals value on matchday 1 was 4.6 and thus even higher than Bayern’s value (3.8) in the 6:1 win in Frankfurt! In total, the Cathedral City team fired 30 shots on goal in this match, which is even more than their upcoming opponents from Leipzig in Stuttgart. For the Effzeh, it was the highest figure in a Bundesliga match since November 2003.
Cologne facts & analysis
– Lost to Regensburg on penalties in the cup.
– Won 3:1 against Schalke in the Bundesliga opener
– Gave up 30 shots on goal there – best Bundesliga record since 2003
Predicted line-up – last update on 11 August 2022
As always, several positions are questionable at RB Leipzig. Klostermann is out until further notice with a syndesmosis injury, Simakan will play in his place. Otherwise, only Poulsen is missing with a muscle tendon injury. Instead of Halstenberg, Gvardiol could also play on the left in the three-man backline. In the centre, with Szoboszlai, Schlager, Laimer, Kampl and Haidara, there are five players for two positions, all of whom could play. On the offensive, Forsberg could slide into the starting eleven for Silva. Returnee Timo Werner is also an immediate option.
At the Effzeh, on the other hand, there is a little less ambiguity. Chabot could be ousted from the starting eleven by the recovered Hübers. Should Uth not be fit in time, Schindler or Maina could slide into the team. We expect Adamyan and Thielmann to play up front, but Dietz is also an option. Only Limnios is currently injured (cruciate ligament rupture).
Personnel update at effzeh:
👉 Timo Hübers rejoins team training.
Mark Uth continues to train individually. pic.twitter.com/kCQlOEAc11– 1. FC Köln (@fckoeln) August 10, 2022
Leipzig – Cologne direct comparison & Statistics
The still young direct comparison is relatively clear in favour of Leipzig with five wins to two and three draws. However, the balance of the last five games is almost even, with the Saxons having a very narrow lead with two wins to one and two draws. RB won the last encounter with 3:1.
– The comparisons between the two clubs last season: 3-1 (home to RB Leipzig) and 1-1 (home to 1. FC Köln).
– In front of their home crowd, RB Leipzig have a proud record of 3 games without defeat against 1. FC Köln.
– When RB Leipzig leads 1-0 in home matches, they win 82% of the matches.
– The average number of goals scored in the first half in matches between RB Leipzig and 1. FC Köln is 0.8.
