Koln vs Bayern Munich
, KO: 19:45 , RheinEnergieStadion
FC Koln's incredible form from the start of the season is now a distant memory, and their problems could culminate in an early exit from the DFB Pokal when they face Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
Newly-promoted Koln were cooking at the start of the campaign, starting with three wins in between the top flight and the cup competition. And since then, the Billy Goats won only one of their most recent six fixtures.
Their last outing resulted in an 1-0 away win at Dortmund, which can even be considered an achievement since BVB attempted 27 shots and took 17 corners. The only noticeable improvement has been their defence, but that’s unlikely to be enough against Bayern Munich.
The Bavarians extended their winning streak to 15 in a row when they beat Borussia Monchengladbach over the weekend. Bayern had surprising problems in the opening round of the DFB Cup, when they needed a 94th-minute winner from Harry Kane to eliminate third division based Wehen.
But their form right now is incomparable to anything we’ve seen before and it’s quite likely they will handle Koln with ease.
How the bookies view it: Not on the same level
It doesn't matter in which competition this match takes place, because Bayern Munich will be chasing all the trophies this season. Bookmakers are aware that the Bavarians will field a strong lineup, and this is reflected in the odds.
Currently, you can back Cologne at 8/1, while Bayern Munich are available at just 1/4. If you believe the hosts have a chance of at least bringing the match to a draw in regulation, you can back it at 6/1.
Recent head-to-head: 14 years since Koln's last win
We can start with the fact that Koln's last victory in a competitive H2H dates back to 2011. If we count friendly matches as well, the hosts have one victory from 2021. On the other hand, Bayern Munich have won 18 of the last 20 official H2Hs, with the other two matches ending in a draw.
Players to watch: Karl is a star in the making
Bayern Munich have a new star in the making and his name is Lennart Karl. Vincent Kompany has been introducing the 17-year-old to the main squad slowly this season, mostly using him as a sub. But the youngster exploded last week, scoring in both the Champions League clash with Club Brugge and the Bundesliga clash with Monchengladbach.
He played 67 minutes against Wehen in the previous DFB Pokal round, and we can almost guarantee he will be among the starters against Koln.
Probable line-ups
FC Koln: Schwabe, Ozkacar, Hubers, Martel, Lund, Johannesson, Huseinbasic, Sebulonsen, El Mala, Butler, Kaminski
Bayern Munich: Urbig, Boey, Kim, Tah, Guerreiro, Goretzka, Pavlovic, Gnabry, Karl, Jackson, Kane
Anything else catch the eye?
Bayern Munich’s streak has to end at some point, but Koln have given us zero reasons to believe they have what it takes to be the ones to end it. Cup games are always different than top flight games and we believe the Billy Goats will have their chances to score. After all, 3. Lig’s Wehen scored two against Bayern in the previous round.
But in the end, we expect the Bavarians to claim the spoils and move to the next round. The FT odds are useless, so we will use one of the combined markets like Bayern & Over 2.5 goals to at least get some value.
GambleAware