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1st FC Cologne vs. Bayer Leverkusen
The Bundesliga completes two more matchdays before the 2022 World Cup, before it goes into the somewhat different winter break. For the teams, it is all about the last six points still up for grabs, which should ensure a better starting position with a view to the start of the second half of the season. For 1. FC Köln and Bayer Leverkusen there is also an exciting derby on matchday 14 as part of the English week, both cities are less than 20 kilometres apart. The game kicks off on Wednesday at 18:30 at the Rhein-Energie-Stadion in Cologne, and you can find our prediction in the following Cologne vs Leverkusen tip.
Cologne have lost ground recently after a somewhat weaker phase. With 17 points from 13 games, the Geißböcke have slipped to twelfth place, but the gap to the direct relegation places is still a comfortable ten points. Leverkusen, on the other hand, have recently managed to break free from the bottom of the table and climb up to 14th place. However, with only twelve points on their account, the Werkself is still far from out of the woods, and the relegation place is still only one point away.
Cologne – Leverkusen info:
– Date & Time: 09.11.2022, at 18:30 hrs.
– Venue: Cologne, Rhein-Energie-Stadion
– Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 14
– TV broadcast: Sky
Cologne Form & Balance Check
1. FC Köln are currently going through one of the weaker phases of the Baumgart era. After a once again convincing start to the season, the strong comeback win against Dortmund at the beginning of October was followed by a small slump. Since then, the Geißböcke have only won two of the following nine games, and in the Bundesliga they have only won one of the last five games. As a result, the Effzeh have slipped down the table, but from now on they can fully concentrate on the league due to the early exit in the DFB Cup and the Conference League.
Tired Cologne lose in Freiburg
So Cologne will not be spending the winter in the European Cup, the 2:2 against Nice last Thursday was not enough to advance. Afterwards, the Geißböcke were also unable to score in the Bundesliga. The difficult away match at SC Freiburg ended 2:0 for the Breisgauers, who thoroughly deserved their victory. Cologne, on the other hand, looked tired, as so often in recent weeks, which manifested itself in numerous lapses in concentration and sleepy defensive behaviour. Jeong and Gregoritsch took advantage of the gaps in the back line to score the decisive goals.
Cologne facts & analysis
– 12th place in the Bundesliga, 17 points from 13 games.
– Last lost 0:2 in Freiburg
– Only 1 win from last 5 league matches
Leverkusen form & balance check
Bayer Leverkusen will ideally want to free themselves from the cellar before the World Cup break. After the catastrophic start and the subsequent dismissal of successful coach Seoane, things originally started well under Xabi Alonso. But the euphoria fizzled out in no time after the 4-0 win over Schalke to kick off the season, as Leverkusen failed to pick up a single victory in the following six competitive matches. As a result, the Werkself has already bowed out of the Champions League, but will at least be allowed to compete in the Europa League intermediate round in the new year.
Bayer surprise with landslide win against Union
In the Bundesliga, the Werkself had also spent plenty of time in the relegation zone after only two wins from their first twelve games. It was not until last weekend that Leverkusen were able to free themselves a little, but did so in impressive fashion. Against Union Berlin, a tough game developed in the goalless first half, which suddenly picked up momentum after the break thanks to Bayer. Leverkusen presented themselves impressively efficient and overran the surprised Unioners, so that in the end after goals from Diaby (2), Andrich, Hlozek and Bakker there was a clear 5:0 victory over the former league leader.
Leverkusen facts & analysis
– 14th place in the Bundesliga, 12 points from 13 games.
– Last win 5:0 against Union
– 1st three-pointer after previously 6 winless games in a row
Predicted line-up – last update on 7 November 2022
Steffen Baumgart is happy about the return of Hübers and Hector, who should come in for Soldo and Pedersen. Otherwise, we believe in the top eleven of recent weeks in the last games before the World Cup, Schindler, Huseinbasic, Thielmann and Adamyan offer themselves as further alternatives. The medical team remains full with the injured Andersson, Dietz, Lemperle, Limnios, Ljubicic and Uth.
Xabi Alonso actually has no reason to change his starting line-up after the gala performance against Cologne. The recently injured Schick and Paulinho could return to the squad, while Wirtz and Azmoun are still out. Tah, Aranguiz, Palacios, Adli and Hudson-Odoi could also be alternatives for the starting eleven.
Cologne – Leverkusen direct comparison & Statistics
There have been 74 versions of the derby between Cologne and Leverkusen so far, 68 of which have come in the Bundesliga. Overall, the Werkself has led the way with 29 victories, while Cologne won 20 games. A further 25 games ended in a draw. The Effzeh won the last match 1:0 in Leverkusen. Since Florian Wirtz also tore his cruciate ligament in this match and is out until today, Bayer fans are unlikely to want to remember this match.
– The most frequent result between 1. FC Köln and Bayer Leverkusen is 0-2. 6 games ended like this.
– The comparisons between the two clubs last season: 2-2 (home for 1. FC Köln) and 0-1 (home for Bayer Leverkusen).
– A look at 1. FC Köln: Florian Kainz is the top scorer with 5 goals. Jeremie Frimpong also scored 5 times for Bayer Leverkusen.
– The average number of goals scored in a clash between 1. FC Köln and Bayer Leverkusen is 3.2.
– The average number of goals scored in the first half in matches between 1. FC Köln and Bayer Leverkusen is 1.4.
