Bayern Munich vs FC Koln Preview: Where to Watch, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
Having swept aside Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League in midweek, Bayern Munich return to Bundesliga action on Saturday to take on struggling FC Koln.
Having dropped points against both Hertha BSC and league leaders RB Leipzig, Bayern sit fourth in the table with eight points and will expect to return to winning ways.
CHRISTOF STACHE/GettyImages
Koln, meanwhile, have picked up just three points from 12 available, lingering just above the relegation zone.
Here's 90min's preview of the game.
Where to Watch
When Is Kick Off? | Saturday 21 September |
What Time Is Kick Off? | 14:30 (BST) |
Where Is it Played? | Allianz Arena |
TV Channel/Live Stream? | beIN Sports HD 5 |
Referee? | Patrick Ittrich |
Where to Buy Tickets
Tickets for the game are, as ever, available on both teams' official club websites, though membership is required in order to purchase. In terms of resale, both teams provide the option to make season tickets available for others to use, if a supporter is unable to attend the game themselves.
Team News
Left back David Alaba and central midfielder Leon Goretzka remain the only absentees for Bayern, having both suffered hamstring problems.
Alaba is expected to return sooner, however, with the possibility of playing a part the following weekend, while Goretzka has been ruled out for a month.
Thomas Eisenhuth/GettyImages
Koln are missing both Christian Clemens and Birger Verstraete through injury, but otherwise should be operating close to full strength.
Predicted Lineups
Bayern | Neuer; Kimmich, Pavard, Sule, Hernandez; Tolisso, Thiago; Gnabry, Coutinho, Coman; Lewandowski. |
Koln | Horn; Ehizibue, Bornauw, Czichos, Hector; Schaub, Skhiri, Hoger, Drexler; Cordoba, Modeste. |
Head to Head Record
Bayern have, unsurprisingly, dominated this fixture in the Bundesliga, winning 11 times compared to Koln's two victories.
Sebastian Widmann/GettyImages
This has extended to more recent years too, with Koln's last victory over the Bavarians going as far back as 2011.
The meeting will be their first since the 2017/18 campaign, with the visitors bouncing back from relegation to earn promotional back to the top flight last season. In those games, Bayern emerged victorious 1-0 at the Allianz Arena, winning the reverse fixture in Cologne 3-1.
Recent Form
Bayern haven't been at their all-conquering best thus far, with some terrific results intwined with surprising dropped points. Scoring goals hasn't been too much of an issue, though, with leading light Robert Lewandowski continuing to fire up front; the Pole already on seven strikes for the season.
Sebastian Widmann/GettyImages
On the other hand, Koln have struggled since their return to Germany's top flight, losing three of their four matches, and it would be a shock for them to get anything from the game.
Here's how each team has performed in their last five fixtures:
Bayern | Koln |
Bayern 3-0 RS Belgrade (18/9) | Koln 0-1 Monchengladbach (14/9) |
Leipzig 1-1 Bayern (14/9) | Freiburg 1-2 Koln (31/8) |
Bayern 6-1 Mainz (31/8) | Koln 1-3 Dortmund (23/8) |
Schalke 0-3 Bayern (24/8) | Wolfsburg 2-1 Koln (17/8) |
Bayern 2-2 Hertha (16/8) | Wiesbaden 3-3 Koln (11/8) |
Prediction
It's difficult to see anything other than a comfortable Bayern victory here, given the history between the two sides.
Alexander Hassenstein/GettyImages
They're the better side, they're in better form and they have an have in-form striker chomping at the bit to score more goals.
For the neutral, this could be a fairly drab watch - but for Bayern's supporters, it should be another week of cruise control.
Prediction: Bayern 3-0 Koln.
