RB Leipzig will hope to continue the recent unbeaten run when they take on 1. FC Koln at RheinEnergieStadion on Saturday.
The second half of the 2022/23 Bundesliga season is underway, with games coming thick and fast in Germany. Matchday 19 will continue on Saturday, with the action on the day kicking off at RheinEnergieStadion, where 1. FC Koln will welcome RB Leipzig.
1. FC Koln came into the 2022/23 season on the back of a memorable seventh-placed finish last term. But the Billy Goats have struggled to stitch together a run of positive results in the ongoing campaign. Steffen Baumgart’s charges started the season with a five-game unbeaten run but have managed only one win in their last eight outings, thus falling to 12th on the table.
On the other hand, RB Leipzig made a horrendous start to the season that cost Domenico Tedesco his job. Marco Rose replaced the 37-year-old but made an inauspicious start to his reign as the RB Leipzig boss. But the visitors are currently on an 11-game unbeaten run in the league that has lifted them from 12th to third in the Bundesliga standings.
The reverse fixture saw Koln twice come from a goal down to hold Leipzig to a 2-2 draw. The game also saw Dominik Szoboszlai earning a straight red card for elbowing Florian Kanz. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
1. FC Koln
🎙️#Baumgart zum Personal: „Davie Selke ist wieder im Training und daher höchswahrscheinlich wieder im Kader." #effzeh
— 1. FC Köln (@fckoeln) February 2, 2023
Steffen Baumgart has a gamut of fitness issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against RB Leipzig on Saturday, 1. FC Koln’s manager will be bereft of the services of half a dozen first-team players.
The offensive unit has suffered the most due to fitness issues, with Mark Uth (pelvis), Dimitrios Limnios (ACL), Sebastian Andersson (knee), and Florian Dietz (ACL) on the sidelines. In addition, Luca Kilian and Kristian Pedersen are recovering from their respective muscle injuries.
Marvin Schwabe picks himself between the sticks, with 1. FC Koln likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him. Timo Hubers and Julian Chabot will likely form the central defensive pairing, with Benno Schmitz and captain Jonas Hector being the two full-backs.
Elyes Skhiri will look to shore up things in the middle of the park. The Tunisian midfielder will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park, with Eric Martel sitting alongside him in the double pivot.
Denis Huseinbasic will likely be the most advanced midfielder for Koln, with the German playmaker looking to carve out the openings in the final third. Florian Kainz and Linton Maina should be the two wide men, with the duo bringing directness in the final third. Finally, Steffen Tigges should spearhead the Koln attack against RB Leipzig.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Schwabe; Schmitz, Hubers, Chabot, Hector; Skhiri, Martel; Maina, Huseinbasic, Kainz; Tigges
RB Leipzig
Like his counterpart in the 1. FC Koln dugout, Marco Rose is dealing with a few pressing concerns ahead of the trip to RheinEnergieStadion. The RB Leipzig will be without four first-team players on Saturday.
Captain Peter Gulacsi is the most notable absentee due to a knee injury. Christopher Nkunku is another pivotal figure unavailable due to a knee complaint. Dani Olmo (thigh) and Abdou Diallo (knee) are the other players on the sidelines.
ℹ️ Team news ahead of #KOERBL:
Joško Gvardiol is doing well and if the final training session goes well, he'll be an option for the game. pic.twitter.com/HyNFs6ol0K
— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) February 3, 2023
Janis Blaswich will continue to deputise for Gulacsi in the goal, with RB Leipzig lining up in a 4-4-2 formation in front of him. Willi Orban will don the armband in Gulacsi’s absence. And the Hungary international will pair up with the in-demand Josko Gvardiol at the heart of the defence. David Raum and Benjamin Henrichs should be the two full-backs.
Konrad Laimer is a Leipzig player for a few more months and will hope to go out with a bang. And the Austrian midfielder will sit at the base of the Leipzig midfield, with Xaver Schlager being his partner. The duo will aim to keep things tight in the middle of the park while pushing the team forward with purpose.
Dominik Szboszlai and Emil Forsberg should be the two wide attackers for Leipzig. But the duo will often veer infield to act as central attacking midfielders. Finally, Andre Silva and Timo Werner should be the two strikers for Leipzig.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Blaswich; Henrichs, Orban, Gvardiol, Raum; Szoboszlai, Laimer, Schlager, Forsberg; Silva, Werner
Key Stats
- 1. FC Koln have only won one of their last seven Bundesliga games against RB Leipzig (D3 L3): 2-1 at home on 20th April 2021. That remains their only win in five Bundesliga home games against Leipzig (D2 L2).
- The Billy Goats are still unbeaten in 2023 (W1 D2), picking up more points in these three games (5) than they managed from their last seven matches in 2022 combined (4). Koln last avoided defeat in the first three Bundesliga matches of a calendar year in 2018, last going more games unbeaten after their promotion in 2014 (4).
- RB Leipzig have picked up 30 points in 13 Bundesliga games under Marco Rose, a league-high during this period. They are unbeaten in 11 Bundesliga games (W8 D3). Only Bayern Munich are also unbeaten in as many games. In all competitions, Leipzig have now gone 17 games without defeat. They last enjoyed a longer run between January and May 2019 under Ralf Rangnick.
- No side has taken fewer shots than Koln in 2023 (24, same as Eintracht Frankfurt). But only RB Leipzig (9) and VfL Wolfsburg (12) have scored more goals than the Billy Goats this year (8). The hosts have scored with every third shot in 2023, a league-best, while the visitors find the net with every 4.6 shots, putting them third in this ranking (Wolfsburg second with 3.2).
- Koln have won four of their first eight Bundesliga home games this season (D2 L2). Since 2000, they have only ever recorded more wins in 2000/01 (6). Their tally of 18 goals after eight home games is their best in the top flight since 2000/01 (24). Meanwhile, they have conceded just 10 goals, their best record since 2016/17 (4 back then).
Player to Watch
Timo Werner
After a frustrating stint with Chelsea, Timo Werner has been a player reborn since rejoining RB Leipzig. Back in familiar surroundings, the German international has played more confidently. And the 26-year-old has 11 goals across all competitions thus far.
With Christopher Nkunku still on the sidelines, Werner has more responsibility in the final third. And the former Chelsea striker will be keen on delivering the goods for Leipzig against 1. FC Koln. Expect another game-changing performance by the German forward.
Prediction
1. FC Koln 1-3 RB Leipzig
Koln might have only one win in eight games, but they have started 2023 decently. However, the hosts’ record against RB Leipzig is nothing to write home about. In addition, the visitors are in a phenomenal run of form dating back to October. And they have the upper hand heading into the game this weekend.
RB Leipzig are on a six-game wait for a clean sheet in the Bundesliga, their longest spell without one since between October 2021 and January 2022. Meanwhile, Steffen Baumgart has won none of his five Bundesliga games against RB Leipzig (D3 L2).
The Koln boss has not taken on any side more often in the top flight without winning. His teams have scored in each game but also never kept a clean sheet. All those records should continue on Saturday, with The Hard Tackle predicting Leipzig to hand a 3-1 defeat to Koln this weekend.
