Bayer Leverkusen will look to continue the unbeaten start to the 2023/24 season when they take on FC Koln at the RheinEnergieStadion on Sunday.
Matchday 24 of the 2023/24 Bundesliga season will end on Sunday, with the day bringing us two matches. The action gets underway at the RheinEnergieStadion, where FC Koln will host the table-topping Bayer Leverkusen.
FC Koln and Bayer Leverkusen are on the opposite ends of the Bundesliga table heading into the business end of the 2023/24 season. The Billy Goats are 16th in the standings, only two points outside the relegation zone and occupying the relegation playoffs spot.
On the other hand, it has been a dream season for Xabi Alonso and Bayer Leverkusen, as they are sitting atop the table, seven points clear of faltering champions Bayern Munich with a game in hand. They are yet to lose a game across all competitions this term, while the hosts have managed only four wins in 25 outings thus far in the 2023/24 campaign.
The reverse fixture had Bayer Leverkusen cruising to a 3-0 win over FC Koln, with Jonas Hofmann, Jeremie Frimpong, and Victor Boniface finding the back of the net. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
FC Koln
Timo Schultz has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Bayer Leverkusen, the FC Koln manager should be bereft of the services of three first-team players.
The good news is the return of Timo Hubers, who has recovered from an illness and is available to take on Bayer Leverkusen. Davie Selke should also make it to the matchday squad, although he might not be fit enough to start. But Mark Uth (knee) and Luca Waldschmidt (broken leg) remain on the sidelines.
FC Koln will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Bayer Leverkusen, with Marvin Schwabe taking his usual spot between the sticks. The backline should feature Rasmus Carstensen, Luca Kilian, Jeff Chabot, and Max Finkgrafe.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Eric Martel and Denis Huseinbasic. The duo will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park while initiating quick transitions. Captain Florian will pull the strings in the final third, linking up with the attacking trifecta of Dejan Ljubicic, Linton Maina, and Jan Thielmann.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Schwabe; Carstensen, Kilian, Chabot, Finkgrafe; Martel, Huseinbasic; Ljubicic, Kainz, Maina; Thielmann
Bayer Leverkusen
Like his counterpart in the FC Koln dugout, Xabi Alonso has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of the trip to the RheinEnergieStadion. The Bayer Leverkusen manager will be without two first-team players on Sunday.
Arthur remains in the treatment room due to his hamstring injury, while Victor Boniface is a long-term absentee due to a groin issue. But Exequiel Palacios should be in the matchday squad, although he might not feature from the get-go.
Captain Lukas Hradecky will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Bayer Leverkusen lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him against FC Koln. Odilon Kossounou, Jonathan Tah, and Edmond Tapsoba will form the central defensive unit, while Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo will start as the wing-backs.
While Frimpong and Grimaldo will essay their defensive roles, they will primarily camp themselves in the final third. As for the midfield unit, Robert Andrich should pair up with Granit Xhaka in the double pivot in the middle of the park. Patrik Schick should lead the line for the away side instead of Amine Adli, with Jonas Hofmann and Florian Wirtz supporting him up front.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Hradecky; Kossounou, Tah, Tapsoba; Frimpong, Xhaka, Andrich, Grimaldo; Hofmann, Wirtz; Schick
Key Stats
- Bayer Leverkusen have only done the league double over FC Koln once in the last 11 seasons (4-0 and 3-0 in 2020/21). Koln ended Leverkusen’s then nine-game unbeaten run with a 2-1 win over them last May but lost 3-0 in the reverse fixture this term.
- FC Koln have won only one of their last 40 Bundesliga games against the table-topping team (D9 L30), beating Schalke 1-0 in September 2008. They have not emerged victorious against the league leaders in 23 successive attempts (D4 L19).
- Bayer Leverkusen have not lost in 33 games across all competitions this season. With 29 wins and four draws, that is the best streak of any Bundesliga team ever.
- Xabi Alonso will oversee his 50th Bundesliga game on Sunday. Only the former Bayern Munich trio of Pep Guardiola (80%), Hansi Flick (78%) and Carlo Ancelotti (73%) have ever had a higher win percentage than Alonso’s 65.
- Koln have scored 56 per cent of their goals from set pieces. Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen have conceded 44 per cent of their goals from the same source, the highest proportion league-wide.
Player to Watch
Patrik Schick
2023/24 has been a frustrating season thus far for Patrik Schick. Once a highly sought-after attacker in the market due to his exploits for Bayer Leverkusen. But Victor Boniface’s arrival and Amine Adli’s heroics have hampered the Czech striker’s fortunes.
Schick has managed only 684 minutes of game time thus far this season, although he has a healthy scoring rate of 114 minutes per goal. But with Boniface injured, every outing counts. So, the 28-year-old will be determined to deliver the goods in the final third on Sunday.
Prediction
FC Koln 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen
The reverse fixture had FC Koln drawing a blank, and history might repeat itself on Sunday. The Billy Goats have found the back of the net only 16 times in 23 outings thus far this term. That is the same number of goals conceded by Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga this season.
So, Lukas Hradecky and his teammates should keep another clean sheet on Sunday, especially if they remain alert during set-piece situations, their only legible weakness. Meanwhile, Patrik Schick should step up this weekend, finding the back of the net to help Bayer Leverkusen beat Koln 2-0 at the RheinEnergieStadion.
