Our prediction for this Europa League match:
Bayer Leverkusen
Match Time & Date:
21/02/2019
03:00 PM
Prediction: 1-0
Krasnodar
A place in the Europa League last 16 will be at stake when Bayer Leverkusen and Krasnodar take on each other at BayArena on Thursday evening. The two teams played out a goalless draw in Russia and yet another closer encounter is on the horizon. Bayer Leverkusen have been scoring goals for fun in the Bundesliga of late and that is surely giving fans a reason for optimism ahead of the visit of Krasnodar. The BayArena outfit did well to beat star-studded Bayern Munchen at home earlier in February, which is probably the main reason why home win should be considered. Krasnodar should not be written off just yet, but we do not believe that they are capable of spoiling Bayer Leverkusen’s party at BayArena. A man to watch in the home team will be Karim Bellarabi, who is likely to pose a big threat for the opposition back-line.
Highlighted Player (Dominik Kohr):
Dominik Kohr is a product of Bayer Leverkusen’s youth school. The German midfielder was born in Tier on 31 January, 1994 and he made eight appearances for the Bundesliga side at senior level. He spent the 2014/2015 season on loan at Augsburg, playing 34 games for the club in the German elite division and his loan was made permanent at the end of the season (18 June, 2015).
He scored his first goal for the club from the penalty spot in a 1-0 win over Wolfsburg. Kohr has four caps for Germany U20 and he played for the U18 and the U19 teams in the past as well. Dominik Kohr is a central midfielder, but he is capable of playing as a defensive midfielder and a centre back as well.
He has a contract with Augsburg which expires on 30 June, 2019. Kohr played 26 games for Augsburg in the 2015/2016 Bundesliga campaign.
Highlighted Team (Krasnodar):
Krasnodar are one of several Russian clubs that were founded in the 21st century (2008). The Byki were promoted to the Russian Premier League in 2011 and they were playing under Serbian tactician Slavoljub Muslin back then. Krasnodar finished the 2014/2015 season in third place in the standings and that is regarded as the club’s biggest success.
The club’s biggest rivals are Kuban Krasnodar and there have always been fireworks when the two teams take on each other in the local derby. The Bulls participated in the 2015/2016 Europa League group stages and it has to be noted that they managed to beat star-studded Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund in front of home fans.
However, they failed to make life difficult for Sparta Prague in the last 32, losing 4-0 to the Czech outfit on aggregate. Krasnodar play their home matches at Krasnodar Stadium, the venue that was built in 2016. The capacity of the stadium is 33,000.
