Leverkusen threatened with yellow cards

What sounds almost impossible could soon become reality. After eleven championships in a row, it looks like FC Bayern Munich will finally be dethroned, to the delight of many soccer fans. Bayer 04 Leverkusen will be the team that does everything in its power to bring its incredible success story with coach Xavi Alonso to the finish line. The Werkself have been unbeaten in 33 competitive matches, setting a new record in German professional soccer

In the Rhineland derby against 1. FC Köln, Alonso and his team will face a team that will be difficult to break down. For Cologne, it really is a matter of survival. After Steffen Baumgart left Cologne, they are on the upswing and have shown that any team can get their teeth into them. Two defeats from their last seven games show impressively that Cologne want to stay in the German top flight with all their might.

However, the bookmakers’ predictions for the match between Cologne and Leverkusen clearly favor the away team. Despite the Werkself’s incredible record, some soccer experts believe that Cologne will be able to come away with something worthwhile and thus cause a big surprise. Whether the derby will be the first stumbling block for coach Xavi Alonso’s team will be something to watch on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

Cologne – statistics & current form

1. FC Köln have suffered a number of setbacks this season. The Billy Goats have had to make do without a real striker in recent weeks, as all three strikers – Luca Waldschmidt, Davie Selke and Mark Uth – have been unavailable for weeks. This is of course also reflected in the attacking statistics. Cologne have scored 16 goals so far this season and, not surprisingly, have the worst attacking line in the league.

Since the change of coach in mid-January, when they agreed with a heavy heart to end their collaboration with Steffen Baumgart, the Geißböcke appear to be in good shape to stay in the league despite the additional personnel situation. Two defeats from the last seven games impressively show that they can achieve a lot with their team unity. However, Cologne’s statistics do not look good against the league leaders. They have been waiting 23 games to win against a league leader

Can Cologne make the championship exciting again?

What could speak in favor of the home team is the fact that they have only lost both duels against the Werkself once in a season. Since they have already lost the first leg 3-0 away from home, the statistics suggest that they could win important points again in the second leg to stay in the top flight. Our recommendation for the match between Cologne and Leverkusen is to bet on over 2.5 goals in the game. In our opinion, Cologne will want to show that they can hold their own at times, as they did against VfB Stuttgart the previous week, and will do the same against Leverkusen.

However, Cologne should not disregard the attacking qualities and the ruthlessness of the league leaders, so we assume that there will be at least three goals in the match. So far, 17 points from 23 games are only good enough for 16th place in the relegation places, eight points shy of the drop zone. One very interesting statistic is likely to be important to coach Timo Schultz for the derby. 56% of all Cologne goals were scored from a resting ball. That is the highest figure in the league. The Werkself, on the other hand, conceded 50% of their goals from set pieces. This should therefore be a recipe for success to pose major problems for the superior team in the derby this season.

Predicted Cologne line-up:

Leverkusen – Statistics & current form

If you look at Bayer 04 Leverkusen’s current form, it’s hard not to get excited. Unbeaten in 33 competitive matches, undefeated in the Bundesliga for 23 games now. Coach Xavi Alonso has created something in Leverkusen that seemed impossible after FC Bayern Munich’s eleven German championships. Children who are now in the fifth grade cannot imagine that there could be another team that could lift the championship trophy.

But with the way the Werkself play, you can see the influence the head coach has in this. Many different principles that Alonso incorporates into his analysis and tactical skills are all so well-rehearsed in the game that it is difficult to pose any major problems for Leverkusen. With Granit Xhaka, Alejandro Grimaldo and Victor Boniface, all the new arrivals have made such an impact that you have to pay a huge compliment to those responsible around Simon Rolfes. Not only do they have individual quality, but the new signings have also broadened the squad in a way that no other team in the Bundesliga currently has.

Will Leverkusen continue to stand firm?

In the match between Cologne and Leverkusen, the odds point to a win for the away team, but it should not be forgotten that the derby can always lead to tricky scores and there could well be surprises. With 61 points from 23 games, the Werkself are playing the third-best season ever for a team in the Bundesliga. Only FC Bayern have collected more points after 23 matchdays twice under Pep Guardiola. An eight-point lead over second place after 23 matchdays in the Bundesliga has never been lost.

The best player of the current Bundesliga season is probably Florian Wirtz. The high-class technician has a total of five goals and ten assists this season. He is largely responsible for Leverkusen winning their first championship in history. It is also a personal record for him, as he has never scored so many goals in a season to date. Leverkusen lead both the home and away tables. Away from home, they have picked up 29 points from eleven games so far and have a goal difference of 25:9. This statistic could of course provide additional food for thought for a Cologne vs Leverkusen betting tip.

Leverkusen should be wary, because with Granit Xhaka, Jeremie Frimpong and Edmond Tapsoba, three regular players in the fight for the championship could risk a yellow card suspension. But with Xhaka, one player has already proven that he knows how to tackle in important phases. With Xavi Alonso, the coach also has a yellow card. He also faces the stands if he makes another misstep.

Expected Leverkusen line-up:

Cologne – Leverkusen head-to-head comparison / H2H result

The last ten meetings have shown that the derbies between these two teams promise more than just excitement. The record is fairly even. Leverkusen have won five and the Billy Goats have won four of the direct duels. At least 2.5 goals were scored in seven of the ten matches. The Cologne vs Leverkusen odds also suggest that this time it could well be another high-scoring game

Cologne – Leverkusen betting tip

In Bayer Leverkusen, we have a team that is currently showing little to no weaknesses. Accordingly, it would come as no surprise if the Werkself were to win both halves. The odds of 2.00 for this bet are quite respectable. An interesting statistic should be that Cologne have lost their last three matches at home by zero points. As a result, it is not entirely far-fetched that the prediction of an away win and Cologne not scoring could come in the Cologne vs Leverkusen match

In conclusion, it can be said that Leverkusen can show with their impressive soccer in this game that they are ready for the big time. The odds for over 2.5 goals in the Cologne v Leverkusen match can be put in the 1.65 range, and we believe that this can be considered more than realistic due to the individual class of the away team. Coach Xavi Alonso will once again show all his strength and emotion on the sidelines to keep the success story going.