German Bundesliga
2024-03-15 - Koln vs RB Leipzig
A Sports Betting Pick by Niko
Football; Germany: Bundesliga
Rhein Energie Stadion – Koln
Friday, 15th March 2024 - kickoff 20:30 CET
Koln
Koln dropped a 0-1 and 1-2 lead against Borussia Monchengladbach last week, ending in a 3-3 draw. It was one of the rare games where they scored more than once this season, and that point did not improve their situation much. They are still third from the bottom in the Bundesliga, seven points behind the safe places.
Koln awaits RB Leipzig without a win in five Bundesliga matches, drawing three and losing twice. I doubt they can break that negative run in this match, but their next two games are two winnable matches against Augsburg and Vfl Bochum.
Koln has won only once in their last 12 Bundesliga games, so their form has been awful since last November. They have only 18 points and, in theory, need 18 more to remain in the league (from the last nine matches), which looks impossible.
Koln’s recent home displays have been mostly terrible, with Koln losing three of their last four home matches.
RB Leipzig
RB Leipzig is in excellent form, entering the most important stretch of games, seeking a UEFA Champions League qualification. They are fifth in the Bundesliga, only a point behind Borussia Dortmund, so they must keep adding the pressure on their rivals.
Interestingly, RB Leipzig will face Borussia Dortmund at the end of April, a potentially decisive encounter that will likely decide the fourth and final German team to play in the UEFA Champions League next season.
Until then, RB Leipzig has a much more favorable schedule than Borussia Dortmund, and they must not slip up. Before facing Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig will play games against teams from the bottom half – Koln, Mainz, Wolfsburg, and Heidenheim, plus one tricky away game against SC Freiburg.
On the other hand, their biggest rivals, Borussia Dortmund, are still to face top sides of Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayern Munich, Vfb Stuttgart, and Bayer Leverkusen, which gives RB Leipzig hope and a strong chance they will end up fourth at the end of this season.
First things first, and now most important, is this away game against Koln. RB Leipzig routinely won 2-0 against SV Darmstadt 98 last week, their fourth win in the last six Bundesliga matches. That was also RB Leipzig's seventh game from the last eight in the Bundesliga in which they scored at least twice.
The Betting Verdict
RB Leipzig has remained unbeaten in five of their most recent six matches against Koln (three wins, two draws), demolishing them 6-0 in their first duel this season.
Current form and quality are heavily on RB Leipzig’s side, and I suggest backing them to record another routine victory in their pursuit of the fourth spot.
The Statistics :
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Pick :
Koln 0-2 RB Leipzig
BEST BETTING TIP :
Take RB Leipzig to win at odds of 1.53 with Bet365
