Will the Reds give the right response to the Gladbach game?
After winning seven games in a row, FC Bayern München lost 2-1 at home to Borussia Mönchengladbach in the first match of the new calendar year. Now, however, a number of key players are returning from quarantine and are eager to give the right answer away to 1. FC Köln and not allow their lead in the table to be reduced any further with an emphatic win.
The Geißböcke are certainly in good form going into this home game. After all, the Cathedral City side have won their last three league games in a row. However, according to the bookmakers, the German record champions, who will arrive with a lot of anger in their bellies, are unlikely to be able to win. In the run-up to the clash between Cologne and Bayern, the odds are clearly in favour of the visitors.
With a view to the strong results of the cathedral city, a surprising point win cannot be completely ruled out. However, because the reigning champions want to send a clear signal after last weekend’s defeat, we find significantly more value in betting on Cologne against Bayern that the Reds will take some frustration off their chest.
Accordingly, the bet on FCB winning by at least two goals (AHC -1.5) is highly rated.
Cologne – Statistics & current form
1. FC Köln are currently enjoying a remarkably quiet season. After the Geißböcke were always in a relegation battle until the very end in the last two years and only managed to stay in the league via the relegation battle last summer, they are currently even on course for Europe.
The reason for this is the fact that the Cathedral City team is extremely difficult to beat. Steffen Baumgart’s men have only lost four of their 18 league games so far (seven wins and seven draws each).
Recent three wins in a row with 7:3 goals
The “Effzeh” will go into the home game against the German record champions with a lot of momentum.
The last three league games in a row have all been won by Cologne, with a total of 7:3 goals.
The Geißböcke certainly don’t have to hide at home against the Reds. Baumgart’s team has only lost one home game at the Rheinenergiestadion so far in the 2021/22 season – the best record in the league. Even today’s guests from Munich already have two home defeats to their name.
Without a win against Bayern for 15 league games in succession
Never the less, the Cathedral City side have to settle for the underdog role against the overpowering German record champions, which is certainly also due to their recent record against the Reds. Not a single one of the last 15 league games against the FCB has been won (one draw, 14 defeats).
Predicted line-up of Cologne:
Schwäbe – Hector – Hübers – Kilian – Schmitz – Özcan – Kainz – Duda – Ljubicic – Uth – Modeste
Last matches played by Köln:
1st Bundesliga
01/09 2022 – Hertha Berlin 1 – 3 1. FC Köln
12/19 2021 – 1. FC Köln 1 – 0 VfB Stuttgart
12/14 2021 – Vfl Wolfsburg 2 – 3 1. FC Köln
12/10 2021 – 1. FC Köln 0 – 2 Augsburg
12/04 2021 – Arminia Bielefeld 1 – 1 1. FC Köln
Bayern – Statistics & current form
FC Bayern München have experienced their fair share of setbacks in the 2021/22 season, such as the two 1-2 home defeats against Frankfurt and Gladbach, the 1-2 defeat at FC Augsburg and the crushing 0-5 defeat at Gladbach in the DFB Pokal.
All in all, the Reds are still on course in both the Bundesliga and the Champions League, where they have won all six group games with 22:3 goals and a very feasible draw awaits them in the last 16 in the form of FC Salzburg.
Five top performers return from quarantine
While many Bundesliga clubs already have the last 16 of the DFB Cup in the back of their minds, the FCB can currently concentrate fully on league action. The defeat against the Foals is to be forgotten when five key players return from quarantine.
This should result in personnel changes, especially on the left side, which was susceptible time and again against Gladbach with Sabitzer and Tillman. The German record champions are thus expected to be back in their best line-up in the cathedral city.
Won 14 of 18 league games
What the Reds can achieve with their best eleven should be well known and is also reflected in the Bundesliga table, where the FCB is the clear number one with 14 wins from 18 games despite the aforementioned three defeats this season. They are already six points ahead of BVB.
Julian Nagelsmann’s team wants to send a clear signal to the Dortmund team that the championship trophy will once again go to the Isar this summer. We expect the Munich team to be correspondingly attack-minded, which is why the betting on a clear victory with at least a two-goal difference is favourable for Cologne against Bayern.
Bayern’s likely line-up:
Neuer – Davies – Süle – Pavard – Kimmich – Tolisso – Roca – Musiala – Müller – Gnabry – Lewandowski
Last matches played by Bayern:
1st Bundesliga
01/07 2022 – Bayern Munich 1 – 2 Borussia Mönchengladbach
12/17 2021 – Bayern Munich 4 – 0 Vfl Wolfsburg
12/14 2021 – VfB Stuttgart 0 – 5 Bayern Munich
12/11 2021 – Bayern Munich 2 – 1 Mainz 05
Champions League Grp. E
12/08 2021 – Bayern Munich 3 – 0 Barcelona
Cologne – Bayern Direct comparison / H2H-balance
Head to head: 24 – 23 – 54
There have been a total of 101 meetings between the two teams so far and FCB lead the direct comparison with 54 victories. Most recently, the Reds have remained unbeaten in 15 consecutive league games against Cologne (14 wins, one draw).
Cologne – Bayern tip
For Cologne against Bayern, the prediction has to take into account that the Geißböcke go into this home match with the self-confidence from three consecutive victories. In addition, there is the general home strength, which is reflected in the fact that the cathedral cities have lost only one of their nine league home games. Now, however, the German record champions come to the Rheinenergiestadion with a lot of anger in their belly after the defeat against Gladbach.
Although the Effzeh already kept up well in the first leg in the narrow 2:3 defeat in Munich, they will probably not be able to keep up with the force of the Reds in the end. We therefore recommend betting on the FCB winning by at least two goals
