Preview: FC Köln vs. RB Leipzig - Team news and prediction.

FC Köln needs to start winning some football matches if they want to climb above the relegation zone. Currently, they are placed 16th, which means they would have to compete in a playoff match against the 3rd-placed team from the 2.Bundesliga. They are 7 points behind Bochum, who are above them, so ideally, they need to secure 3 points in today's match.

RB Leipzig is battling with Dortmund for the fourth spot, which grants access to Champions League football next season. They are currently 1 point behind and could put pressure on their competitor by winning today's match before their encounter later in the weekend.

Last five meetings between FC Köln vs. RB Leipzig: 
◉ 6-0: Leipzig vs. Köln 
◉ 0-0: Köln vs. Leipzig 
◉ 2-2: Leipzig vs. Köln
◉ 3-1: Leipzig vs. Köln 
◉ 1-1: Köln vs. Leipzig 

Team news: 
Justin Diehl, Luca Waldschmidt, and Mark Uth are out with injuries for Stuttgart, while the team is also affected by three suspensions. Jan Thielmann, Timo Hubers, and Dejan Ljubicic are the three players who must sit out the match.

Lukas Klostermann is definitively out with an injury, while there is significant doubt surrounding Mohamed Simakan, who had to be substituted in the last match due to injury. Otherwise, Leipzig is expected to have a full squad, and therefore, it is anticipated that they will field their strongest lineup.

Köln expected lineup:
Schwaebe; Carstensen, Chabot, Heintz, Finkgrafe; Martel, Huseinbasic; Alidou, Kainz, Maina; Adamyan. 

Leipzig expected lineup: 
Gulacsi; Henrichs, Orban, Lukeba, Raum; Elmas, Kampl, Schlager, Simons; Poulsen, Openda. 

Prediction: 
FC Köln needs to win this match, so they will have to attack Leipzig to chase a result. We believe this could be a high-scoring game, but Leipzig is too strong and will likely secure the victory. Therefore, we suggest a RB Leipzig win + both teams to score at odds of 3.00 at Bet365.