Bayern München vs Köln – Wednesday, December 13, 19:30GMT/20:30CET – Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany It felt like the end. Köln gave away a 3-0
Bayern München vs Köln – Wednesday, December 13, 19:30GMT/20:30CET – Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
Bayern München vs Köln will take place at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Wednesday (Photo by Lennart Preiss/Bongarts/Getty Images)
It felt like the end. Köln gave away a 3-0 lead on matchday 15, in what was declared the relegation final, to lose 3-4 to SC Freiburg. With now just three points out of the first 15 games it is almost unthinkable that the Billy Goats can survive in the Bundesliga.
The club is now in danger of breaking Tasmania Berlin’s record from the 1965-66 season. The club from Berlin ended the season with just two wins and 8:60 points—the Bundesliga still used the two-point system at the time. Köln, however, are still waiting for their first victory and in current form, it seems not entirely unthinkable that the club could end the season without a win breaking Tasmania’s long-standing negative record.
One thing seems almost for certain Köln will not collect any points on matchday 16. Too big is the gap in quality between the Billy Goats and record champion Bayern München. Bayern head coach Jupp Heynckes has drilled his squad into an efficient machine that just a week ago completely unravelled Paris Saint-Germain and has displayed shades of the side that won the treble in 2013.
With this in mind, Köln faces a daunting task at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday. Bayern fans in the meantime can look forward to a cold evening that will be warmed by plenty of goals.
Bayern München vs Köln – Players to look out for:
Frank Ribery #7 – Bayern München
Frank Ribery is expected to get the start against Köln on Wednesday. The French winger was on fire last Tuesday as Bayern faced Paris and was instrumental in the Bavarian’s destruction of the newly rich club from France. On Saturday Jupp Heynckes once again started Ribery, but the French winger showed signs of his long injury and put in an average performance, With Ribery slowly regaining match fitness it will, however, be just a matter of time until he puts in regular world-class performances.
Frank Ribery will be Bayern’s key player. (CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images)
Timo Horn #1 – Köln
Timo Horn has one of the most thankless tasks in German football at the moment. The Köln keeper is considered one of the best keepers in German football and can only take very little blame for Köln’s demise this season. On Wednesday he will likely be at the centre of the storm once again as Köln faced their toughest opponent yet and given the current form of both sides Horn will have a busy evening.
Timo Horn can expect a busy night in Munich on Wednesday. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Bongarts/Getty Images)
Bayern München vs Köln – Match Stats
- Bayern’s home record against Köln is W21 D9 L14.
- Jupp Heynckes’ record against Köln is W17 D9 L9.
- Köln have not won in Munich since February 21, 2009. That match ended 2-1 in the Billy Goats’ favour.
Futbolgrad Network Prediction: Bayern München vs Köln – 5-0
Bayern München vs Köln – Lineups
Bayern München:
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Ulreich – Rafinha, Süle, Boateng, Alaba – Rudy, Tolisso – James, Müller, Ribery – Lewandowski
Head Coach: Jupp Heynckes
1.FC Köln:
Formation: 4-3-3
T. Horn – Olkowski, Sörensen, Heintz, J. Horn – Lehmann, Özcan – Klünter, Jojic – Guirassy, Osako
Head Coach: Stefan Ruthenbeck
Manuel Veth is the owner and Editor in Chief of the Futbolgrad Network. He also works as a freelance journalist and social media editor at Bundesliga.com. He holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in History from King’s College London, and his thesis is titled: “Selling the People’s Game: Football’s transition from Communism to Capitalism in the Soviet Union and its Successor States,” which will be available in print soon. Originally from Munich, Manuel has lived in Amsterdam, Kyiv, Moscow, Tbilisi, London, and currently is located in Victoria BC, Canada. Follow Manuel on Twitter @ManuelVeth.
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