There is little to play for in terms of the Bundesliga title but this match also has repercussions for the battle to stay in the German topflight.
The game between Bayern Munich and Koln will be played on the 13th of April at the Allianz Arena. The hosts are currently 2nd in the Bundesliga on 60 points while the visitors are in 17th place on 22 points.
Bayern Munich come into the match having got a 2-2 draw at Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter final.
🔜 𝒇𝒄𝒃𝒌𝒐𝒆 ⚽️⏳___#effzeh #FCBKOE pic.twitter.com/Y5iz1O9YdL— 1. FC Köln (@fckoeln) April 10, 2024
🔜 𝒇𝒄𝒃𝒌𝒐𝒆 ⚽️⏳___#effzeh #FCBKOE pic.twitter.com/Y5iz1O9YdL
It was Arsenal that opened the scoring in the 12th minute but it took only 6 minutes for Bayern Munich to equalise.
The German champions took the lead in the 32nd minute but could not hold on in the second half, conceding in the 76th minute.
The draw at Arsenal means Bayern Munich have failed to win any of their 3 most recent fixtures in all competitions.
There have been defeats at home against Borussia Dortmund and away to Heidenheim in the Bundesliga, both of which were disappointing results.
Trends show Bayern Munich have won only 2 of their last 5 Bundesliga games. However, they have won 10 of their last 12 league matches on home soil and have scored 3 or more goals in 8 of those 12 games.
Koln travel to the Allianz Arena on the back of a crucial 2-1 home victory over Bochum in the Bundesliga last weekend.
With the score 0-0 at halftime, Bochum took the lead in the 53rd minute and looked well set to claim the victory. However, Koln staged a late fightback to score in the 90th and 92nd minutes to win.
The victory over Bochum was the first win in 8 competitive fixtures for Koln, all of which were played in the Bundesliga.
There have been defeats at home against Werder Bremen, Bayer Leverkusen, and RB Leipzig. Koln did manage to pick up a point in draws at Hoffenheim, Stuttgart, Borussia Monchengladbach, and Augsburg.
Statistics show Koln have given a good account of themselves in recent away Bundesliga matches. They are undefeated in each of their last 5 away games in the league but have failed to win any of those matches.
Koln have struggled defensively on the road and they have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 7 away Bundesliga fixtures.
Team news: Bayern Munich are without the injured quartet of Sacha Boey, Bouna Sarr, Tarek Buchmann, and Gabriel Marusic.
There could be some changes from the Arsenal game, with Raphaël Guerreiro, Kinglsey Coman, Noussair Mazraoui, Eric Choupo-Moting, Thomas Müller, and Kim Min-Jae all coming into the starting XI.
Koln make the trip without the injured Davie Selke, Luca Kilian, Florian Dietz, and Mark Uth. Eric Martel is suspended and there are doubts over the fitness of Justin Diehl.
There is no doubt Bayern Munich will have their eyes on the Champions League and could take their foot off the gas a little in this game.
However, even with several changes to their starting XI, Bayern Munich should still have too much for the visitors and could win this game comfortably, keeping a clean sheet in the process.