Koln vs Bayer Leverkusen
Football ; Germany : Bundesliga
Rhein Energie Stadion – Koln
Wednesday, 21st December 2016 - kickoff 20:00 CET
Koln
Koln played great football in the opening couple of months of the season and were unbeaten for long periods of time. However, their form is on constant decline in the last couple of months and they won just once in their last six Bundesliga matches. Currently they are without a victory for four consecutive matches, recording one heavy defeat against TSG Hoffenheim and three draws against Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund and Werder Bremen.
Striker Anthony Modeste was on fire in the first three months of the season, scoring twelve goals, but last time he scored was exactly a month ago in the away match against Borussia Monchengladbach.
Despite their recent negative form, Koln are still sitting high and are just couple of points behind the European places. The main reason for that is their top home form, as they are still unbeaten at home this season. They managed four wins and three draws in their seven home games.
Midfielder Marco Hoger picked up his fifth yellow card of the season in the last match and is suspended for this game.
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen showed many mediocre performances this season and that is why they are stuck at the mid-table. Their recent form is not very good, as they won just twice in their last six games, lost three times and drew once. Striker Javier Hernandez still cannot find his form, so the winter break comes in best possible time for them.
Bayer Leverkusen were decent in their matches against favorites and strong teams this season, but failed to deliver points from their matches against weak sides. They were completely outplayed and lost the last match with 1-2 at home against Ingolstadt.
At away grounds, each of Bayer Leverkusen`s last three defeats was followed by a victory in the next round.
Midfielder Charles Aranguiz got sent off in the last game against Ingolstadt and is not available for selection in this match.
The Betting Verdict
Koln are currently struggling, while Bayer Leverkusen are also not at their best. However, Bayer Leverkusen have a good recent history against Koln and managed to stay unbeaten in nine of their last ten head to head duels against them. This is a close game to call, but I believe that Bayer Leverkusen will manage a narrow victory
