Köln vs Bayer Leverkusen: Another win over the Billy Goats for Leverkusen

The Sunday pool of the German Bundesliga round 9 will begin with the match between Köln and Bayer, likely the main Rhine derby. The games between these teams are always productive and intriguing, but they have been a little lopsided in results lately.

Before the international break, Köln had a 5-match winning streak, and just before the break the Billy Goats confidently defeated Greuter Fürth at home (3-1). However, the team was thrashed by Hoffenheim (0-5) in the first game after the break. What was that? A slump after a good start, or just one bad game? It's entirely possible that the upcoming derby will answer that question. Saturday's pool over, Köln is 9th in the standings, just 2 points behind Leipzig in the Eurocup zone. The team’s home stats are fourth in the division, +4=1-0, 9-4.

Like the Billy Goats, Bayer had a devastating loss in the Bundesliga after the break, losing to Bayern 1-5. Leverkusen played a midweek game against Betis in Sevilla, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Saturday matches over, Bayer is 4th in the Bundesliga standings, 6 points behind the leading Bayern. Bayer's away statistics are excellent, +3=1-0, 12-3 goal difference, only Bayern boasts is better.

• Köln: Horn, Skhiri, Ehizibue are out. Andersson is questionable;
• Bayer: Aranguiz, Baumgartlinger, Fosu-Mensah are out.

The last 3 face-offs between Bayer and Köln ended in victories for Leverkusen. All matches were quite high-scoring, with at least three goals scored by each team, so it’s safe to expect the upcoming match to be rich in goals and eventful in general. As for the outcome, we're on Bayer's side. Köln was great at the start of the season, but in the last round, Hoffe showed that the Billy Goats have a lot of problems in defense, and Hoffe itself is not a top-tier team, not Bayern for sure. Here are the betting options: W2 for 2.15, TO (3) for 1.75, W2+TO (2.5) for 2.79.