1st FC Cologne – Bayern Munich
The last international break of the year is over and we now know 21 of the 24 teams that will take part in the 2024 European Championship in Germany next summer. Until the winter, however, the focus is on the club competitions. In the Bundesliga, there are still five match days to go before the end of the year. The 12th matchday kicks off in the cathedral city on Friday. You can find out whether Bayern will prevail in Müngersdorf in our Cologne – Bayern betting tip.
The hosts from Cologne will be looking to finally record their second win of the season in their own stadium and thus pull themselves out of the bottom of the table. The Billy Goats are in second-last place with just six points and were unable to get past a very lucky 1-1 draw at VfL Bochum before the international break.
The visitors from Munich, on the other hand, want to continue their outstanding Bundesliga form. FCB have won their last five league games in a row and are still unbeaten in the Bundesliga. Two weeks ago, the record champions beat Heidenheim 4-2 to keep pace with leaders Leverkusen
Cologne – Bayern Info:
- Date & Time: 24.11.2023, 8:30 pm
- Playing venue: RheinEnergieSTADION, Cologne
- Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 12
- TV broadcast: DAZN
Cologne Form & Balance Check
The three teams at the bottom of the Bundesliga table currently go by the names of Union Berlin, Mainz 05 and 1. FC Köln. The first two have already pulled the ripcord in recent weeks and parted ways with their coaches. However, the Billy Goats have so far stuck with Steffen Baumgart.
And the results have also improved somewhat recently. In the last four league games, the cathedral city team have only conceded one defeat. The last two encounters against direct rivals Augsburg and Bochum ended 1-1. However, Cologne were clearly the worse team in the away game at the Ruhrstadion and can thank VfL’s lack of chances for the point
Flanks into the void
Cologne’s play was not necessarily full of finesse. Coach Steffen Baumgart relies on his team’s superior tackling and numerous crosses. However, the main challenge for the Billy Goats lies in creating clear chances.
With just nine goals, FC have the weakest offense in the entire league. The attacks in the front third also appear increasingly monotonous. The majority of attacks result in crosses that rarely find a taker. With 162 crosses, FC even lead the statistics for crosses in the entire Bundesliga.
Cologne facts & analysis
- In 17th place in the league
- Played 1:1 against Bochum before the international break
- The worst offense in the league
Bayern Form & Balance Check
At Bayern, everything has actually gone according to plan so far this season. FCB are still without a point in the Champions League and the record champions have yet to lose in the Bundesliga. But the treble will not happen in Munich this year either, as coach Thomas Tuchel’s team conceded their second defeat of the season in the DFB Cup in the second round against Saarbrücken – following the 3-0 loss to Leipzig in the Super Cup.
However, despite their outstanding record, FCB are not yet top of the Bundesliga table either. With 29 points from their first eleven games, Bayern have made their best start to a season since the 2015/2016 season, but that is still only good enough for second place behind Bayer Leverkusen.
Record-breaking offense
During the pre-season, Bayern’s attack in the final third of the pitch was not particularly effective at times and they lost a few points as a result. This season, however, has been completely different. FC Bayern have scored an impressive 42 goals so far this season, which is a new historic Bundesliga record after eleven matchdays.
Harry Kane also set a new Bundesliga record with 17 goals after eleven matchdays. In addition, Kane has already set the season record for an Englishman in the German top flight. Kevin Keegan in the 1978/79 season for HSV and Jadon Sancho in the 2019/20 season for BVB also scored 17 goals each, albeit over the entire season
Bayern facts & analysis
- Second in the Bundesliga table
- Best offense in the Bundesliga
- Won 4:2 against Heidenheim before the international break
Predicted line-up – last update on November 22, 2023
Coach Steffen Baumgart will line FC up again in a 4-2-3-1 against Bayern. We expect captain Florian Kainz back in central midfield. Mark Uth, who was injured during the international break, will be available again.
Bayern will also return to a 4-2-3-1 formation. Kim Min-jae, who returned late from the international break, will probably have to start again. Even if the injury crisis in Munich is slowly coming to an end, Matthijs de Ligt and Jamal Musiala are still missing
Cologne – Bayern head-to-head & stats
FC Bayern have won 55 of their 104 matches against the Billy Goats. Cologne, on the other hand, have only won 24 times. The last time they won a point at home against the Munich side was back in 2011. The last time they met in May, FCB secured their 33rd championship
- The two teams are separated by 23 points in the league
- Cologne’s last win against Bayern was on 05.02.2011
- Did you know that Bayern Munich score 26% of their goals between the 76-90 minute mark?
