RB Leipzig v Koln Bet Builder Stats & Predictions
RB Leipzig v Koln
Kick Off: 17:30
Competition: Bundesliga
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Leipzig welcome Koln, with both sides having started the season in strong form, each with two wins from their opening three matches.
Match Stats: Koln have started strongly
Koln have made a near perfect start to the season as a newly promoted side, with two wins and one draw from their opening three games of the season. They’ve scored eight goals across these games and conceded four, their games in the early stages of the season have been pretty entertaining.
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They drew 3-3 away at Wolfsburg last time out, which showcased their ability to go toe-to-toe with some of the more established clubs in the Bundesliga. Koln have scored 3+ goals in each of their last two Bundesliga matches, too.
RB Leipzig have recovered following their 6-0 thrashing on the opening day of the season at the hands of Bayern Munich, to win back to back games against Heidenheim and Mainz – both to nil. They’ll do well to keep a third clean sheet on the bounce against a Koln side that appear to be pretty free scoring at the moment.
This is the toughest test that Koln have had to face in the Bundesliga so far this season, so we can expect Leipzig to have quite a few chances here, but you can’t discount the quality and scoring power of Koln in the early stages of the season.
Predictions –
BTTS
BTTS and Leipzig to win
Koln to score
Shot Stats: Bakayoko and Nusa a constant nuisance
I’m a big fan of Leipzig’s wide options, Nusa joined the club last season, but Bakayoko was acquired over the summer from PSV after a series of strong seasons in the Eredivisie. Bakayoko has already scored his first goal for the club having scored the winner against Mainz last time out. It was a brilliant strike from distance and he could have ended the game with a brace, had his second shot not come crashing back off the post.
Bakayoko and Nusa are direct and look to take on their man at every given opportunity. If you’re looking to back just one of them for shots, I would back Bakayoko – he averaged 3.42 shots per 90 across his 30 appearances in the Eredivisie last season.
While Bakayoko may be more of a shot and goal threat than Nusa, I do think Nusa is a more complete player and may potentially have a higher ceiling than Bakayoko. Leipzig have made a habit of developing talent and then selling on for ludicrous prices, as we saw with Sesko over the summer, and Nusa could be their latest export.
Nusa registered 11 goal contributions across his 36 appearances in all competitions for RB Leipzig last season, and I expect him to improve on this tally this term.
Predictions –
Johan Bakayoko 3+ shots
Antonio Nusa 2+ shots
Johan Bakayoko 1+ shots on target
Antonio Nusa to score/assist
Card Stats: Early Flurry of Cautions for Koln
Koln have received seven yellow cards across their opening three games of the Bundesliga (2.33 per game). They picked up two yellow cards in their 3-3 draw with Wolfsburg last time out and I expect the newly promoted side to continue to be in and amongst the highest card totals in the Bundesliga this season.
This is common for newly promoted sides, they often are in games where they are outclassed and become frustrated or pick up cautions as a result of desperately trying to protect crucial points – especially on the road.
In the 23/24 season when Koln were relegated to the second division of German football, they collected 65 yellow cards across their 34 Bundesliga matches (1.91 per game). This metric increased slightly when looking specifically at their away games in the top flight, with Koln collecting just over two cards per game when on their travels in the Bundesliga.
Predictions –
Koln 2+ cards
Koln to be shown the most cards
By: @AndysBetClubUK
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / picture alliance
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