Are the Bulls taking the Billy Goats to task?
The current Bundesliga season is different from last season. On Friday, RB Leipzig and 1. FC Köln will meet two teams that were 14 places apart in the table just over a year ago. This year, two teams seem to be on an equal footing, because in the Bundesliga standings it is a match between neighbours.
We are looking in the direction of the Bundesliga at this point, but for those who are eagerly awaiting the Super Bowl 2022 this weekend, we of course have the appropriate information ready. But back to football. Leipzig have made an upswing under Domenico Tedesco. In the meantime, the Saxons have climbed to seventh place in the Bundesliga table. The goal of the Champions League is within reach again.
With a win on Friday, the Bullen could take fourth place, at least temporarily. But that also applies to the Geißböcke, who are currently sixth and even have one point more than the Saxons. Nevertheless, the home side are favoured on Saturday.
This could also be due to the fact that Domenico Tedesco has a very good record as a coach against the Billy Goats. The Bullen coach has faced the Effzeh four times with Schalke 04 and has never lost. Therefore, we do not expect to be successful with a bet on a win for the visitors in the clash between RB Leipzig and Cologne on Friday.
RB Leipzig – Statistics & current form
It took a long time, but now RB Leipzig seem to be back in attack mode. The Champions League is within reach again and if the Bullen stabilise, then it could still be a successful season with qualification for the top flight, especially as they are in the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup and are probably the highest-priced club there.
Bulls on the way up
The Saxons have won four of their last five games. The upswing is also linked above all to Andre Silva. Under Domenico Tedesco, the attacker has scored six times in seven games, twice as many goals as in the 14 games before. It might be fitting to play the odds on the attacker scoring in the match between RB Leipzig and Cologne.
Last week, however, things got the better of the Leipzigers once again. FC Bayern ended the Bullen’s winning streak. However, it was a match that perhaps did not deserve a winner. In the end, the Munich side won 3-2, with the two equalisers from Andre Silva and Christopher Nkunku not enough for the Saxons to take anything of note at the final whistle.
They now want to make up for this defeat at home, especially as RB is the third-best home team in the Bundesliga. In addition, things are looking very good in terms of personnel. Probably only Marcel Halstenberg will be missing. Mohamed Simakan could be back in the mix after recovering from his injury. Dominik Szoboszlai, Emil Forsberg, Amadou Haidara or Yussuf Poulsen are also possible candidates for the starting eleven.
Predicted line-up of RB Leipzig:
Gulacsi – Orban, Gvardiol, Klostermann – Laimer, Kampl, Angelino, Mukiele – Olmo, Nkunku – Silva – Coach: Tedesco
Last matches played by RB Leipzig:
1st Bundesliga
02/05 2022 – Bayern Munich 3 – 2 RB Leipzig
01/23 2022 – RB Leipzig 2 – 0 Vfl Wolfsburg
DFB Cup
01/19 2022 – RB Leipzig 2 – 0 Hansa Rostock
1st Bundesliga
01/15 2022 – VfB Stuttgart 0 – 2 RB Leipzig
01/08 2022 – RB Leipzig 4 – 1 Mainz 05
Cologne – Statistics & current form
If you look at the table, it’s clear that Cologne are playing their second best Bundesliga season this millennium. Nevertheless, people around the Geißbockheim remain modest. To the outside world, they continue to talk about staying in the league. The goal will only be revised upwards once the 40-point mark has been reached.
Super season for the billy goats
Currently, 1. FC Köln have 32 points on their account, mind you after 21 games. In the whole of last season, it was only one point more. Steffen Baumgart has hit the ground running and on Friday he will be back on the sidelines after surviving his quarantine. With the coach back, it might even be possible to predict a point win for the Rhinelanders in the clash between RB Leipzig and Cologne.
After all, the Geißböcke have not lost in their last five away games in the Bundesliga. Last week, they already defeated SC Freiburg, a club in the race for international contention, and they did so without their head coach on the sidelines. After a goal by Anthony Modeste, Cologne won 1:0 in their own stadium.
In terms of personnel, things couldn’t look better for the Effzeh. We have already discussed the fact that Steffen Baumgart will once again take his usual place in front of the Cologne bench. Ellyes Skhiri is also likely to be back in the starting eleven now that the exertions of the Africa Cup have been overcome. This means that the Rhinelanders will be able to start with their desired formation.
Cologne’s line-up:
Schwäbe – Hector, Hübers, Kilian, Schmitz – Özcan, Skhiri, Kainz, Thielmann – Uth, Modeste – Coach: Baumgart
Last matches played by Köln:
1st Bundesliga
02/05 2022 – 1. FC Köln 1 – 0 SC Freiburg
Friendly club matches
01/27 2022 – 1. FC Köln 2 – 2 Schalke 04
1st Bundesliga
01/22 2022 – Vfl Bochum 2 – 2 1. FC Köln
DFB Cup
01/18 2022 – 1. FC Köln (3)1 – 1(4) Hamburger SV
1st Bundesliga
01/15 2022 – 1. FC Köln 0 – 4 Bayern München
RB Leipzig – Cologne Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
Nine duels have been played between RasenBallsport Leipzig and 1. FC Köln to date. The balance does not point as clearly in the direction of the Saxons as one might have imagined. After victories, the Bullen are just 4:2 ahead. Three duels ended in a draw. Recently, however, the Rhinelanders have always performed well against RB.
Cologne have not lost to Leipzig in three games. The first leg ended in a 1-1 draw in the cathedral city. However, that was during a phase in which Leipzig had major problems under Jesse Marsch. Anthony Modeste brought Cologne forward, Amadou Haidara managed the equaliser. On Friday, however, the signs for this duel are different.
RB Leipzig – Cologne tip
If there is a winner in this match, then the winner will first move up to fourth place on Friday evening. The dream of the Champions League is alive. The bulls are taking an offensive approach, the billy goats are more likely to go for understatement. A look at the table, however, shows that both teams may have similar ambitions.
After all, Domenico Tedesco’s team have won four of their last five games and only lost narrowly after a good game at Bayern. Therefore, we also see the Saxons ahead and tend to place a tip on a home win in the match between RB Leipzig and Cologne.
While Cologne have not lost in their last five away games, the Rhinelanders now face a very special quality in Leipzig. We can imagine that some goals will be scored when Anthony Modeste and Andre Silva are on the pitch together. However, we have decided to play the betting odds on a success for the Bulls between RB Leipzig and Cologne.
