Cologne-Bayern Munich is a match of the 12th day of the Bundesliga and is played on Friday at 8:30pm: TV, lineups, predictions.
Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga has been winning uninterruptedly for five games but for now has to settle for second place. Yes, because there is one team, Bayer Leverkusen, that is doing better and has even collected two more points than the reigning multiple champions Bavarians. They are the only ones still unbeaten and boast two atomic attacks: Xabi Alonso’s men have already scored 34 goals, Thomas Tuchel’s are on 42.
Important is the gap to the pursuers, who have lost a lot of ground in recent days, including Borussia Dortmund and Leipzig. For a few hours Bayern Munich has a chance to take back the top spot, being engaged in Friday’s early match at home to Cologne. Almost a head-to-head if we consider that Steffen Baumgart’s Billy Goats are second-to-last in the standings with the same points as tail-end Union Berlin, a step lower due to a matter of goal difference. After a disastrous start, Cologne has managed to put an end to a worrying string of defeats, bringing home five valuable points in the last month: excluding the humiliating 6-0 defeat in Leipzig, the red-and-whites beat Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1 and drew – on both occasions with a 1-1 result – against two direct rivals such as Augsburg and Bochum.
Almost a tailspin
Some signs of recovery, in short, for a team that didn’t get off on the right foot but still has plenty of time to get back on track.
Baumgart, which has come through the critical moment unscathed, must contend with an attack that has scored only 9 goals in 11 games and is so far the worst in the Bundesliga. Bayern Munich, on the other hand, is scoring in an avalanche, dragged along by an insatiable Harry Kane: the Englishman has already reached 17 league goals and tops the goalscoring charts.
The Prediction
It is hard to imagine that Cologne, albeit convalescent, can prevent Bayern Munich from picking up another three points and holding off a stratospheric Kane. The Billy Goats, moreover, have not managed to get the better of the Bavarians in front of their home crowd in over a decade. Bayern favored in a match in which, however, Baumgart’s team could also find the way of the goal, considering that it is never easy for the big names to restart after the break for national team commitments.
The likely lineups for Cologne-Bayern Munich
COLONIA (4-2-3-1): Schwäbe; Carstensen, Hübers, Chabot, Heintz; Ljubičić, Martel; Waldschmidt, Kainz, Maina; Selke.
BAYERN MONACO (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Mazraoui, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Kimmich, Goretkza; Sané, Müller, Coman; Kane.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-3
