FC Koln vs Bayer Leverkusen - prediction, team news, lineups

Bayer Leverkusen cannot spend to driblet points against hosts FC Koln connected Saturday at RheinEnergieSTADION if they privation to decorativeness successful the Bundesliga's apical four.

Sixth-placed Leverkusen's tally of 52 points means they way fourth-placed Stuttgart by 4 points with lone 12 to play for, whereas the Billy Goats are 12th with 31 points having drawn 1-1 with St Pauli connected April 17.

Match preview

Koln's gully past clip retired was somewhat fortunate considering their opponents squandered a fig of chances successful beforehand of goal, though they astatine slightest accrued their unbeaten streak to 5 games.

Rene Wagner's broadside were held to stalemates successful 4 of those clashes, but helium was lone successful complaint for their past 3 fixtures, a play successful which they scored six times and conceded connected 4 occasions.

It volition beryllium concerning to the caput manager that Koln person continued to beryllium mediocre defensively contempt his arrival, with the squad searching for their archetypal cleanable expanse since precocious January, a agelong encompassing 10 matches.

The hosts person the information broad of 5 other points implicit 16th-placed St Pauli, who inhabit the relegation playoff spot, though they inactive request 8 much points to warrant their top-flight status.

Koln person drawn two, mislaid 1 and won 1 of their past 4 games astatine home, but their 2 defeats successful that clip came against second-placed Borussia Dortmund and third-placed RB Leipzig, and the lone squad to bushed them by much than 1 extremity at RheinEnergieSTADION this play was Bayern Munich.

Bayer Leverkusen mislaid 2-1 against Augsburg connected April 18, conceding conscionable 3 minutes aft they opened the scoring successful the 12th minute, earlier conceding the victor successful the seventh infinitesimal of second-half stoppage time.

The nine are connected way to full 60 points this term, and that would correspond their 2nd lowest tally successful 5 seasons, but they volition suffice for European shot for a ninth consecutive run if they cod 4 much points.

Kasper Hjulmand's nonaccomplishment was his archetypal successful 8 Bundesliga fixtures, with the caput manager having led the squad to 3 wins and 4 draws anterior to their decision against Augsburg.

Die Schwarzroten person scored precisely 1 extremity successful 5 of their 8 astir caller league outings, and they conceded astatine slightest 2 goals successful fractional of those games.

Leverkusen are undefeated successful 4 distant matches, settling for stalemates twice, with their astir caller crippled connected the roadworthy an awesome 1-0 triumph implicit second-placed Borussia Dortmund connected April 11.

Hjulmand's squad person triumphed successful each of their past 4 meetings with Koln, including erstwhile they won 2-0 astatine BayArena successful December 2025.

FC Koln Bundesliga form:

Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga form:

Bayer Leverkusen signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Koln's squad whitethorn not person galore absences, but centre-backs Timo Hubers (knee) and Luca Kilian (knee) are some scheduled to instrumentality adjacent season.

Jahmai Simpson-Pusey and Cenk Ozakacar started successful the bosom of the Billy Goats' backmost 4 past clip out, and determination is small crushed to uncertainty their inclusion connected Saturday.

Bayer Leverkusen's astir worrying wounded interest heading into the play is teenage striker Christian Kofane, whose thigh wounded is acceptable to regularisation him retired of his team's match.

Patrik Schick volition pb the enactment connected Saturday, and helium volition astir surely beryllium supported successful onslaught by Ibrahim Maza and Ernest Poku.

Elsewhere, Exequiel Palacios and Aleix Garcia are options to play successful a treble pivot up of cardinal defenders Robert Andrich, Loic Bade and Edmond Tapsoba.

FC Koln imaginable starting lineup:

Schwabe; Sebulonsen, Simpson-Pusey, Ozakacar, Castro-Montes; Thielmann, Johannesson, Martel, Kaminski; Bulter, El Mala

Bayer Leverkusen imaginable starting lineup:

Flekken; Andrich, Bade, Tapsoba; Culbreath, Palacios, Garcia, Grimaldo; Maza, Poku; Schick

We say: FC Koln 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen

Koln's grounds astatine location whitethorn not beryllium perfect, but they person proven to beryllium hard opponents for astir each squad they person hosted.

Bayer Leverkusen person not often been beaten successful caller months, but they person often been held to draws, and they whitethorn beryllium forced to settee for a constituent erstwhile again.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.