FC Koln vs Bayer Leverkusen prediction, preview, team news and more

Bayer Leverkusen travel to the RheinEnergie Stadion to take on FC Koln in a Bundesliga clash on Wednesday evening.

Leverkusen are top of Bundesliga, a point ahead of both Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig.

Peter Bosz's side are one of only two unbeaten teams in the Bundesliga at the moment, with Wolfsburg being the other.

Up next: #KOEB04 It's derby time! We've got the short away trip to local rivals 1. FC Köln on Wednesday the 16th.The match will kick off at 2:30pm EST / 20:30 CET. pic.twitter.com/axZafZRA4p
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) December 14, 2020

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In their last match, a brace from Leon Bailey helped them coast past Hoffenheim to a 4-1 win at the BayArena.

They were also helped by their visitors going down to nine men, after two players were given their marching orders.

"The 'thanks' was for one of our trainers (Rob Maas) who shows us the different possibilities of how we can take corners. We practiced it in training and I wanted to show my appreciation for the help in training and reward him in the game." - Bailey on his 1st goal in #B04TSG pic.twitter.com/RT0LHbTXFl
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) December 14, 2020

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On the other hand, Koln are just a spot above the relegation zone, after a tough start to their season.

However, in their last game, they beat fellow strugglers 1-0 to gain a much-needed three points. A 55th-minute goal from Elvis Rexhbecaj gave Koln the three points at Mainz on Saturday.

FC Koln vs Bayer Leverkusen Head-to-Head

Bayer Leverkusen have won 16 of the last 27 games that have taken place between these two teams, with Koln only winning five matches. Six games have ended in draws.

FC Koln form guide: W-D-W-L-D

Bayer Leverkusen form guide: W-W-W-W-D

FC Koln vs Bayer Leverkusen Team News

Duda will miss this game for Koln, as he serves a suspension after his red card in the last game. The likes of Jonas Hector and Anthony Modeste are close to returning to the side, but they may not make it in time for this game.

Injured: Jonas Hector, Anthony Modeste, Florian Kainz

Suspended: Ondrej Duda

Kerem Demirbay has tested positive for COVID-19, and he will miss the game as he is in self-isolation.

Midfielders Charles Aranguiz and Exequiel Palacios are still injured, and so are defenders Santiago Arias and Sven Bender.

Injured: Charles Aranguiz, Santiago Arias, Sven Bender, Exequiel Palacios

Unavailable: Kerem Demirbay

FC Koln vs Bayer Leverkusen Predicted XI

FC Koln Predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Timo Horn; Jannes Horn, Sebastiaan Bornauw, Sava-Arangel Cestic; Marius Wolf, Ellyes Skhiri, Salih Ozcan, Ismail Jakobs; Elvis Rexhbecaj, Jan Thielmann; Sebastian Andersson

Bayer Leverkusen Predicted XI (4-3-3): Lukas Hradecky; Lars Bender, Jonathan Tah, Edmond Tapsoba, Daley Sinkgraven; Florian Wirtz, Julian Baumgartlinger, Nadiem Amiri. Leon Bailey, Mousa Diaby, Patrick Schick