The odds are stacked heavily in the favour of Leon Bailey and Co. when free-scoring Bayer Leverkusen visit Rhineland neighbours Cologne on Sunday (kick-off: 3:30pm CET/ 2:30pm GMT/ 10:30am ET).
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Cologne were well beaten on Monday night, losing 3-1 at Werder Bremen, a week after going down 3-2 at home to Stuttgart. The Billy Goats are only a point behind second-bottom Hamburg, but have a sizeable seven-point deficit to claw back on relegation play-off incumbents Mainz, with only eight games to go. Winger Leonardo Bittencourt is a possibility after being used as a substitute in Cologne's last three outings, but defender Frederik Sörensen misses out with a broke nose. Salih Ãzcan or Lukas Klünter will likely deputise for the Dane.
Cologne's travails at the wrong end of the standings are a distant memory for Leverkusen. Bayer flirted with the drop towards the tail-end of last season, but are now firmly in the mix for a top-four finish. Die Werkself have returned to winning ways in recent weeks, outgunning Wolfsburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach, while only Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have scored more goals all season. Julian Brandt, a scoring substitute in his last two, could force his way into the starting line-up, but defender Tin Jedvaj remains sidelined.
Watch: A tactical look at Leon Bailey
Probable line-ups
Cologne: T. Horn - Klünter, Mere, Heintz, Hector (c) - Risse, Höger, Koziello, Bittencourt - Osako, Terodde
Absentees: Sörensen (broken nose), Queiros (match fitness), Nartey (hamstring), Risa (match fitness), Guirassy (ankle), Jojic (muscular)
Coach: Stefan Ruthenbeck
Leverkusen: Leno (c) - Retsos, S. Bender, Tah, Wendell - Kohr, Aranguiz - Brandt, Havertz, Bailey - Volland
Absentees: Jedvaj (thigh)
Coach: Heiko Herrlich
Match stats Live updates
Source: bundesliga.com