Bayer Leverkusen will be looking to continue their push for European qualification when they welcome Cologne to the BayArena on Friday. Leverkusen have been in excellent form in recent weeks, going unbeaten in their last nine league matches, which is currently the longest ongoing unbeaten run in the Bundesliga. Xabi Alonso's side have also been impressive in other competitions, extending their unbeaten run to 14 games across all competitions. This has resulted in Alonso's stock rising, with big clubs around Europe beginning to take notice of his managerial feats. Cologne, on the other hand, are not yet mathematically safe following their 1-0 defeat to Freiburg in the previous round. However, they have already achieved a 35-point haul, which would have seen them safe in each season since 37 points was the threshold back in 2016/17. Surpassing that mark here against an in-form opposition side is perhaps a big ask, especially as manager Steffen Baumgart has won just once across his six touchline meetings with Leverkusen. Possibly inspiring hope of bucking that trend will be Cologne’s pair of travelling 3-1 victories ahead of this trip, with those wins over Hoffenheim and Augsburg serving to end a seven-game travelling winless run in style. However, extending that winning run to three with a second straight win in Leverkusen would be impressive, not least because the Billy Goats haven’t won three straight top-flight away games since 1996! In terms of key battles, goalkeeper Lukás Hradecký has played a crucial part in helping Leverkusen put together their impressive run of form. The Finnish shot-stopper has conceded just one goal in over six hours of play and made 14 saves across his last four appearances. For me Leverkusen are the favorites heading into the match given their excellent recent form and impressive record at the BayArena.

勒沃库森将在周五的 BayArena球场迎战客场， 继续努力争取欧洲资格。勒沃库森最近几周状态出色，近九场联赛保持不败，这是目前德甲最长的不败纪录。 Xabi Alonso 的球队在其他比赛中也令人印象深刻，将他们在所有比赛中的不败纪录扩大到 14 场。这导致阿隆索的股价上涨，欧洲各大俱乐部开始注意到他的管理功绩。另一方面，科隆在上一轮以 1-0 负于弗赖堡后，在理论上仍然不安全。然而，他们已经取得了 35 分的成绩，这让他们在每个赛季都是安全的，因为 37 分是 2016/17 赛季的门槛。在这里对阵状态良好的反对方时超过这个分数可能是一个很大的要求，特别是因为主教练史蒂芬鲍姆加特在他的六场比赛中只赢过一次与勒沃库森的边线会议。在这次旅行之前，科隆队以 3-1 客场取得两场胜利，这可能会激发逆转这一趋势的希望，其中战胜霍芬海姆和奥格斯堡将结束七场客场不胜的势头。然而，如果在勒沃库森连续第二场获胜，将连胜纪录扩大到三连胜，那将是令人印象深刻的，尤其是因为比利山羊队自 1996 年以来还没有在顶级联赛客场比赛中连续赢过三场！在关键战役方面，守门员卢卡斯·赫拉德茨基在帮助勒沃库森取得令人印象深刻的状态方面发挥了关键作用。这位芬兰门将在六个多小时的比赛中只丢了一个球，并且在过去四次出场中做出了 14 次扑救。对我来说勒沃库森是本场比赛的热门，因为他们最近的出色表现和在拜耳球场令人印象深刻的战绩。