Bundesliga matchday six sees Bayern Munich host high-flyers FC Cologne on Saturday afternoon at the Allianz Arena. The Bavarians were caught hot on their heels after an incredible start to the Bundesliga season. After a hard fought victory against strugglers Hamburg, thanks to a late goal from Franck Ribery, the Bavarian champions were slumped to a 1:0 defeat against Atletico Madrid on midweek Champions League fixture.
The loss ended Carlo Ancelotti’s 100% record with Bayern Munich, as the Italian tasted his first defeat as Bayern coach. Back into the Bundesliga, Die Roten sit atop the table with five wins in five games and three points ahead of their closest pursuers Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern have already scored 27 goals in all competition, conceding just two goals in the process. However, the defeat in midweek halted a run of 11 consecutive wins but having been on the winning side in 29 of their previous 31 encounters, FC Bayern are the undisputed favorites against Cologne.
Cologne themselves are enjoying a pretty good start to the season. The Billy Goats are one of the four unbeaten sides in the Bundesliga thus far, along with their weekend opponent and the two ”retortenverein”(Plastic club) in RB Leipzig and TSG Hoffenheim.
One of the main reasons for Cologne’s success is their solid defence this season. Peter Stoger’s men have kept three clean sheets this season and after Bayern, they have best defensive record in the league, conceding just two goals in five outings. Indeed! The strong backline spearheaded by Albanian defender Mergim Mavraj has been very steady this season and with the way Bayern had suffered against a defensively stable opponent, Cologne would fancy their chances snatching a point or two at the Allianz Arena.
FC Koln have won 3 and drawn 2 of their 5 matches so far this season. They had one of their best seasons in recent years in 2015/16 after achieving a 9th placed finish. With an added freedom this term, they are playing some wonderful football especially at the home ground RheinEnergieStadion. The Billy Goats met an inform RB Leipzig on match day 5 and shared the points with a 1-1 draw. They are currently on a 10 match unbeaten run in Bundesliga carrying over from the end of last season.
Match Facts
- Bayern Munich are on a six match winning run against Koln in all competitions scoring a total of 19 goals against 2 conceded.
- The corresponding home fixture of the Bavarians against Koln in the 2015/16 saw them winning 4-0, with the same fixture of the previous season ending in a 4-1 final score-line.
- Bayern Munich have scored 3 or more goals in 4 of the 6 Bundesliga meetings against Koln. They also kept clean sheets in 4 matches during the same period.
Predicted Lineups
FC Bayern:(4-3-3 formation): Manuel Neuer; Philip Lahm, Javi Martinez, Mats Hummels, David Alaba; Joshua Kimmich, Thiago Alcantara, Renato Sanches; Thomas Müller, Robert Lewandowski, Kingsley Coman
FC Cologne: (4-4-2 formation): Timo Horn; Fredricke Sorensen, Mergim Mavraj, Dominic Heintz, Konstantin Rausch; Marcel Risse, Matthias Lehmann, Jonas Hector, Simon Zoller; Yuya Osako, Anthony Modeste
