Cologne vs RB Leipzig

The surprise package of the 2021/22 Bundesliga season Cologne welcome out-of-form RB Leipzig to the RheinEnergieStadion.

Cologne have responded to a disastrous 2020/21 Bundesliga campaign that saw them avoid relegation via play-offs in convincing fashion this term. The hosts have gone unbeaten in three of their opening four league fixtures this season (W2, D1), scoring 2+ goals three times in the process. After coming from behind to beat Hertha BSC 3-1 in their Bundesliga home opener, Cologne eked out a late 2-1 triumph over Bochum in their most recent home fixture to stretch their winning home league streak to three matches. That’s as many victories as they had in their previous 23 top-flight outings at the RheinEnergieStadion. Despite their impressive home form in recent times, ‘Die Geißböcke’ have yet to keep a clean sheet in top-flight H2Hs as hosts (W1, D1, L2), though they did win this exact fixture 2-1 last season.

As for Leipzig, they have returned just three points from their inaugural four Bundesliga matches this season (W1, L3), which stands for their worst-ever four-game start to a new top-flight campaign. Leipzig’s return of three defeats from their first four league games in 2021/22 is already worse than their tally of just two reverse throughout the entire first half of last season. Indeed, bringing the 2020/21 season into the equation, ‘Die Roten Bullen’ have lost four of their last five Bundesliga fixtures (W1), as many defeats as they had in their previous 18 in the competition combined. Adding to Jesse Marsch’s long list of problems, his men are enduring their longest losing league streak away from home, having lost their last five Bundesliga trips on the trot by an aggregate score of 9-4, drawing a blank in both travels this season.