Bayer Leverkusen vs FC Cologne Preview

Xabi Alonso and his Leverkusen side will look to keep their impressive run of form when they welcome Cologne to the BayArena this Friday.

The hosts finished the last round in sixth position and their hunt for a European place remains well on course following an impressive run of nine league games without defeat (W6, D3). That run is now the longest ongoing unbeaten run in the Bundesliga and has made Alonso one of the most sought-after coaches in Europe.

Alonso’s side’s unbeaten stretch extends to 14 games across all competitions (W10, D4), which includes the Europa League.

The Bundesliga has brought this game forward to Friday to help Leverkusen as they look to notch another league win ahead of their crucial UEFA Europa League semi-final next week.

A return to the BayArena should help the hosts here as Die Werkself have won five of their last six competitive games here scoring at least twice in each victory.

Meanwhile, Cologne will look to continue their quest for survival when they travel to Leverkusen on Friday.

The visitors aren’t quite mathematically safe following their 1-0 defeat to Freiburg in the previous round. Yet, they have already achieved a 35-point haul which would have seen them safe in each season since 2016/17.

Surpassing the 37-point mark that has been enough to secure top flight football since 2017 here against an in-form opposition side is perhaps a big ask, especially as manager Steffen Baumgart has won just once across his six touchline meetings with Leverkusen (W1, D1, L4).

Cologne could be inspired  by a pair of 3-1 away victories ahead of this trip, with those wins over Hoffenheim and Augsburg serving to end a seven-game travelling winless run in style.

Extending that winning run to three would be impressive, as the Billy Goats haven’t won three straight top-flight away games since 1996.

Other fixtures taking place this week in the German Bundesliga:

German Bundesliga Table