RB Leipzig will be desperate for the points as they travel to RheinEnergueStadion for a Bundesliga fixture against Cologne. Neither team has looked particularly solid at the back this season and Saturday’s match is expected to produce goals.
Cologne are coming off a 1-1 draw against Freiburg in their previous Bundesliga fixture. They took a first half lead through Anthony Modeste and held on for much of the contest before conceding the equaliser one minute from time.
After barely escaping the drop last season, Cologne have looked a different team this term. Steffen Baumgart's men have suffered just one defeat in their opening four matches this season which came against champions Bayern Munich.
While they struggled to get goals last season, Cologne have been more efficient in attack this term, scoring in every match with Anthony Modeste finding the net three times already. However, they remain vulnerable at the back with no clean sheets and five goals conceded in four matches.
Tipped to be one of the challengers to Bayern Munich’s dominance, Leipzig have been far from their best this season. Jesse Marsch’s men have endured a difficult start to the campaign with just one win in their opening four matches.
Leipzig were beaten 4-1 by Bayern Munich in their previous Bundesliga outing and followed that up with a 6-3 defeat to Manchester City in their opening UEFA Champions League fixture. They have conceded 10 goals in their last two matches and look almost certain to concede at Cologne.
Despite their many struggles, Leipzig have lost none of their attacking quality with Christopher Nkunku coming off a Champions League hat-trick while striker Andre Silva is already off the mark.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have installed Leipzig as favourites with an away win priced at 9/11 by SBK. Despite their fine start to the season, Cologne are still considered outsiders at 17/5 with Unibet while a draw is set at odds of 3/1 by SBK.
Head to head
Leipzig have four wins and two draws while Cologne have claimed two victories from four previous matches. Cologne triumphed 2-1 in the last meeting between both teams.
Players to watch
Anthony Modeste has been the star for Cologne this season with three goals in four Bundesliga matches. The French striker is priced at 3/1 by Paddy Power to continue his fine scoring run.
Winger Christopher Nkunku netted a hat-trick in the Champions League and could be worth a punt to score anytime at 56/19 with Vbet. Andre Silva often leads the line for Leipzig and can be considered in the same market at 24/19 with SBK.
Anything else catch the eye?
Cologne and Leipzig have looked vulnerable at the back this season and given the quality in both attacks, BTTS Yes can be considered at 20/31 with MansionBet. Leipzig have seen over 3.5 in two of their last three matches and a similar outcome is priced at 6/4 with SBK.
All the goals were scored after the break in the last meeting between Cologne and Leipzig, so the second half can be tipped as the highest scoring half at evens with Paddy Power.
This German Bundesliga match between FC Cologne and RB Leipzig will be played on Sep 18, 2021 and kick off at 17:30. Check below for our tipsters best FC Cologne vs RB Leipzig prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.