FC Koln vs Bayern Munich prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2023-11-23 19:30.
Avoiding defeat in consecutive Bundesliga games for the first time this season lifted Cologne off the foot of the table before the international break, but they remain inside the relegation zone after a desperate start to the season (W1, D3, L7). The Billy Goats’ main issue has been a lack of firepower, as they’re the only team in the German top-flight yet to break double figures for goals scored (nine).
The last time they were in the relegation zone after 11 matches came back in 2019/20, but Cologne staved off the drop that time, an escape act that coach Steffen Baumgart will be looking to replicate this campaign. Keeping clean sheets would certainly help in that regard, as they are without one since early-April’s 0-0 draw with Borussia Mönchengladbach, with this weekend’s game their 20th league game since then!
That is not the kind of statistic you want to carry into a meeting with defending champions Bayern Munich, whose 42 goals scored after 11 matches is a new Bundesliga record. Remarkably, their unbeaten record (W9, D2) still isn’t enough to see them sitting atop the table, as the Rekordmeister still sit two points adrift of Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen going into the round.
Not only do Bayern have the division’s best attack, they’re also fierce at the back, conceding a league-low nine goals thus far – only four of which came on the road. Manager Thomas Tuchel bemoaned a lack of “freshness” in his squad during their lacklustre 4-2 win over Heidenheim before the international break, but given that his side are unbeaten in 18 consecutive league H2H meetings (W16, D2), they may not need to be at their best again to be victorious here.
Players to watch: Cologne’s Davie Selke was on target to help his side rescue a point against Bochum before the break, but just two of his eight strikes for the Billy Goats have come on home soil. Bayern’s deadly duo of Harry Kane and Leroy SanĂ© can strike from anywhere – between them they’ve directly contributed to a combined 28 goals across their last seven Bundesliga games (G18, A10)!
Hot stat: Cologne have lost each of their last nine Bundesliga home games against Bayern – their longest run of home defeats against any club.