Bayern Munich vs. Köln preview: The Billy Goats roar into town
Bayern return home to face a confident Köln side that just scored seven goals to renew their Bundesliga campaign over the weekend.
| Photo: Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Bayern Munich
The record champions didn't quite get off to the start they were imagining, as they struggled in the final third of the pitch against Leipzig on Friday. However, Bayern return to the Allianz Arena with another chance to extend their lead atop the standings on Tuesday night.
Bayern are still far and away the best offensive side in the league with 50 goals recorded through 16 matches. Eric Choupo-Moting can't stop scoring and Jamal Musiala continues to impress on a weekly basis.
Discussing Yann Sommer's debut, Julian Nagelsmann stated, "He did a great job and knows how to play. If you're taking risks, then it's okay to make mistakes every now and then. It's always about weighing those risks. He did well and I was very pleased with him."
Team News
Dayot Upamecano is dealing with a toe issue, but he's expected to play. Manuel Neuer, Noussair Mazraoui, Lucas Hernandez, Sadio Mane and Bouna Sarr remain out. Thomas Müller is likely to start on the bench once again.
Longtime goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalovic was fired on Tuesday over reported differences with Nagelsmann.
Köln
Köln shockingly destroyed Werder Bremen 7-1 on Matchday 16. No once could have predicted this offensive explosion from a team that have struggled to find goals for much of the season.
Florian Kainz was surprisingly not a scorer on Saturday with Steffen Tigges and Ellyes Skhiri taking the center stage. Kainz is probably Köln's most dangerous weapon offensively and he will be a focal point on Tuesday with Skhiri's status up in the air.
In his press conference, Steffen Baumgart shared, "We want to play our way in Munich. We want to be just as brave as we are in other games. Even when Bayern are playing for the title and we want to secure safety."
Team News
Mark Uth, Luca Kilian, Kristian Pedersen, Florian Dietz, Sebastian Andersson and Timo Hubers are all unavailable. Skhiri, who is coming off a brace, is questionable with an ankle injury.
Left-back Leart Paqarada has officially signed from St. Pauli, but he will not join Köln until the summer.