After two disappointing defeats in a row in the league, the German record champions now have to react correctly in the Allianz Arena at home. Even if Munich's title dreams have faded, it is still a matter of getting as many points as possible to consolidate second place in the standings.
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After poor results against Borussia Dortmund (0-2) and FC Heidenheim, the German champion is now 16 points behind league leader Bayer Leverkusen. With six games remaining, a one-point loss for Bayern next weekend is enough for the Werkself to win the championship trophy early. The Reds are now tied on points with the surprise team from Stuttgart. After a good performance during the week against Arsenal in the premier class (2-2), we should now have a feeling of success in the competition. Bundesliga here.
Suspended coach: Bayern will face Cologne without Tuchel
Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel will not sit on the bench as usual in the Bundesliga duel against the seventeenth-placed team. The 50-year-old coach received his third yellow card of the season against 1. FC Heidenheim and is therefore suspended for the game on matchday 29. “I am not allowed to join the team half an hour before or after the game, nor even at rest. Zsolt Löw and Anthony Barry are on the bench. They can do it too,” Tuchel said of his suspension for Saturday’s clash.
Sane is out again: defensive lineup is open
Tuchel could make some personnel changes against 1. FC Köln. “Aleks (Pavlovic) was training yesterday. He has a few minutes. There was a reaction from Leroy (Sané) after the game against Arsenal, but it was to be expected. This will be very close for tomorrow. “That's probably not enough,” Tuchel said in the pre-match press conference about the personnel situation.
After Dayot Upamecano and Minjae Kim were picked against Heidenheim, Eric Dier and Matthijs de Ligt were able to start again against Arsenal. Regarding the orientation of the central defense, the Bayern coach stated: “It is important that both centre-backs remain together. But Matthijs de Ligt and Eric Dier do not need tomorrow's game to be ready for Wednesday. But it could be that they play tomorrow, or that we give Dayot Upamecano and Minjae Kim another chance to keep it up. We still have to put the puzzle together. “That has not yet been finally decided.”
On filling the left-back position, Tuchel said: “Yes, there is a high probability that both (Noussair Mazraoui and Raphael Guerreiro) will play tomorrow. It is important that you practice the competition for Wednesday. I don't know how long Mazraoui will be able to play, if that's enough for 90 minutes, even on Rapha. That's why it's good that tomorrow we also have Phonzy. But the chances of both starting are very high. Because it makes sense to give them both playing time so they can be competitive on Wednesday.”
Regarding Serge Gnabry, who was out again through injury, the 50-year-old said: “There is probably no single reason. The fact is that it is too much. The questions arise on many levels. We are investigating the cause, but we do not have the answer yet. Serge was a huge factor, this is a big setback. He doesn't stop. All the time you think you've passed the lowest point, but then you keep going. I don't think it's because of stress.”
Colonia wants to “seek and take advantage of opportunities”
Cologne coach Timo Schultz spoke about the duel with the German record champions: “First of all FC Bayern FC Bayern have incredible quality, although they probably won't be German champions for the first time in ten years. Of course he wants the three points to stay in Munich. But we want to present ourselves well, we will look for our opportunity and we will take advantage of it. And then we'll see what comes of it.”
“We must always believe in ourselves until the end, we must always think forward and solution-oriented despite all adversities. We will take our hearts in both hands, we will play forward and we will keep the opponent busy,” said the FC coach. “Free of that liver “Play away from home, do things intuitively as you think they are at that moment,” he demanded of his players.
Regarding personnel, Schultz revealed that Denis Huseinbasic and Faride Alidou will probably travel to Munich. Both suffered slight muscle problems during the training week and had to take a break. “Everything has gone well operationally for Davie Selke, but the likelihood of him being back on the field this season is really zero,” said the 46-year-old. Meanwhile, neither Eric Barthel nor Marc Uth will be options for the duel with Munich.
Direct comparison
At least statistically, the German champion is the clear favorite in the duel against Cologne, despite its poor form. The German record champions are unbeaten against the Domstadt team for an impressive 19 league games. The last time Munich lost 2:3 was in 2011. Cologne is currently in 17th place in the Bundesliga standings and is therefore in serious danger of relegation. Meanwhile, Bayern sit second in the table despite fluctuations in form.
forecast
For 1. FC Köln, the remaining six games are everything. Only four points separate the Domstadt team from the Savings Bank, in 15th place in the standings. Thanks to the late victory against VfL Bochum we were able to move out of the relegation zone again. After their recent disappointing appearances in the Bundesliga, Munich have to perform against Cologne, especially if they do not want to lose second place in the table. You can expect an opponent who is ready to fight, but should be beatable with a solid performance.
Bayern vs Cologne broadcast: Bundesliga live on TV and live stream – the most important information
- Find: FC Bayern vs. 1. FC Cologne
- Competence: Bundesliga
- Game's Day: 29
- Date: April 13, 2024
- Time: 3:30 pm
- Location: Allianz Stadium
- TELEVISION: Sky Sport Bundesliga 2, Sky Sport Bundesliga 1 (conference)
- Live broadcast: Wow
Expected lineups:
- FC Bayern: Neuer – Kimmich, de Ligt, Dier, Mazraoui – Laimer, Goretzka – Coman, Müller, Tel – Kane
- 1. FC Cologne: Schwäbe – Thielmann, Hübers, Chabot, Finkgräfe – Huseinbasic, Ljubicic – Alidou, Kainz – Tigges, Adamyan
By Luca Utz