Two sides in contrasting fortunes meet for this nicely poised local derby, and it could be Bayer who carry the day at the BayArena.
Bundesliga 2019/2020
Date: Wednesday June, 17
Kick-off: 19:30
Venue: BayArena
Bayer Leverkusen continue to chase Champions League qualification when they entertain struggling Köln and will be disappointed with not picking up maximum points when they faced Schalke 04 last time out.
They get a chance to make amends here, and will feel confident of returning to winning ways as the season draws to a closure. With Borussia Monchengladbach breathing down their necks in fifth with a point less, expect Die Werkself to put out all stops in their bid to clinch a top-four finish.
Köln fell to a third defeat when going down 2-1 to Union Berlin last time out. They are on a seven-game winless streak, with their last away win coming against Paderborn in March.
With 35 points, they look safe on the log in 12th but can they complete a first-ever league double over their opposition?
Team news
Bayer Leverkusen
Lucas Alario is suspended for Bayer after picking up five yellow cards.
Jonathan Tah has a back injury and will be assessed closer to kick-off.
Lars Bender misses out again with a foot injury.
Kevin Volland is nearing a return from an ankle injury, but Karim Bellarabi could miss the rest of the season with a calf problem.
Köln
Markus Gisdol will be without the duo of Marcel Risse and Simon Terodde who are both out with knee injuries.
Head to Head
There have been 64 competitive meetings between these two sides in history. Bayer have won 24 of them, while Köln have 16 wins to their name. 24 other clashes have been drawn.
Team form
Bayer Leverkusen last five competitive games: WLWLD
Köln last five competitive games: DLLDL
Betting tips
Leverkusen will feel very confident of claiming bragging rights over their Rhineland neighbours, and thus exert some revenge for that 2-0 reverse fixture loss earlier this season. With the added prospect of qualifying for the Champions League in the offing, expect the hosts to come out firing on all cylinders and should secure a comfortable victory for odds of 9/20
Another market worth considering for this game is the goals likelihood. Both sides are currently on the longest scoring runs of all current Bundesliga teams, hitting the back of the net at least once in 17 and 15 successive matches respectively. And it have been more than 10 years since the hosts last failed to find the net against Köln at this venue, the sides managing a goalless draw on that occasion in February 2010.
Thus, baking an over 2.5 match goals for 4/9 is very much probable, considering the stated stats while seeing goals at both ends cannot also be ruled out. For odds of 4/7, we would thus, back Both Teams To Score.
You can view all other betting markets for this game here
