Opponent analysis: RB Leipzig vs 1. FC Köln

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4 November 2023, 02:15 yayınlandı

RBL face off against the Billy Goats!

RB Leipzig welcome 1. FC Köln to the Red Bull Arena on matchday 9 of the Bundesliga season (Saturday, 18:30 CEST). Köln promise to be a tough test for RBL despite currently being locked in a relegation battle. We’ve only won one of our last six games against the Billy Goats.

Köln like to get stuck in, run a lot and have a passionate coach. In our opponent analysis, we’ve gathered everything you need to know about our next opponents, including their recent form, key players, and our recent record against them.

Current form

1. FC Köln have lost six of their eight Bundesliga matches this season. They drew with Eintracht Frankfurt before picking up their first win of the campaign in last weekend’s Rhine Derby against Borussia Mönchengladbach, which means they’ll be travelling to Leipzig with the wind in their sails.

Köln’s form in numbers:

1. FC Köln…

…have only scored seven league goals this season, the second-worst tally in the Bundesliga behind Bochum (six).
…have conceded 15 goals, which is the best defensive record of all the sides in the bottom half of the table.
…have scored five of their seven goals from set pieces.
…have the league’s best penalty taker in their ranks in Florian Kainz. The Austrian has scored three times from the spot this season(the same as Bayern’s Harry Kane and Darmstadt’s Tobias Kempe).
…have run the third-most distance in the league (965.85 km) after Heidenheim (977.99 km) and Hoffenheim (970.35 km).

Squad

Transfers

FC had to replace longtime club captain Jonas Hector in the summer after the left-back’s decision to hang up his boots. Leart Paqarada has arrived to fill Hector’s shoes and was one of the best full-backs in the 2.Bundesliga during his spell at his last club, FC St. Pauli. Rasmus Carstensen, on loan from KRC Genk, has quickly made the right-back position at FC his own.

Luca Waldschmidt is another new arrival who’s playing an important role in the side. The attacker is on loan from VfL Wolfsburg and scored his second goal of the season in last weekend’s derby win. Youngster Faride Alidou has arrived on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt and has mostly been deployed as a super-sub so far.

Key players

Köln have found themselves relying on Dejan Ljubicic and former Leipzig player Eric Martel following Ellyes Skhiri’s move to Eintracht Frankfurt. The two are a good duo in the middle of the park and can still get even better.

Florian Kainz has been an important figure at Köln for the past few years and the Austrian international was named as the new club captain after Jonas Hector’s retirement. He’s got a great left foot and is particularly deadly from set-pieces.

Davie Selke, another ex-RBL player, is Köln’s first-choice striker. The 28-year-old has only scored twice so far this season, but is someone that we need to keep an eye on. Otherwise, he’ll create problems with his aerial prowess.

Injuries

Midfielder Jacob Christensen, who made the switch to FC in the summer from FC Nordsjælland, will miss the game due to a muscle strain. It will take longer for Jan Thielmann and Noah Katterbach to get back to full fitness, as both have been out with more serious injuries. Back-up striker Philipp Pentke is still a doubt for the match after picking up a cut on his knee.

Head coach

Steffen Baumgart has been in charge of 1. FC Köln since the start of the 2021/22 season. He led the Billy Goats to a sensational seventh-placed finish in his first season with the club, which also meant that FC qualified for the UEFA Conference League. Köln picked up 42 points in his second campaign and the Billy Goats managed to stay up comfortably, eventually ending up in 11th place.

Things have been trickier for Köln this season, but the 51-year-old has stuck to his guns. FC play with intensity under Baumgart and always look to get forward. They cover a lot of distance, put in a lot of crosses and are excellent from set-pieces. Five of their seven league goals to this point have come from dead-ball scenarios.