Bayern Munich vs. Cologne: Team News, Predicted Line-Ups, Live Stream & TV Info
Bayern Munich get an early chance to extend their lead in the Bundesliga on Friday, taking on Cologne in the first match of Round 23.
Pep Guardiola's side will enter the match on a high of confidence, having won their last two fixtures in Germany's domestic league by a combined 14-0. The two-time defending Bundesliga champions are now eight points clear of Wolfsburg atop the table.
Their visitors, Cologne, were playing in the 2. Bundesliga at this point last season and currently stand 13th in the table, just three points clear of the relegation zone. However, in spite of the massive gap between the clubs in the table, Friday's match will be anything but a cake-walk.
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Promoted Cologne have begun the 2015 calendar year rather well, losing just one of their five fixtures. They've conceded just two goals over that period, during which they've earned three draws. Only Bayern, Borussia Monchengladbach and Wolfsburg have better defensive records than the North Rhine-Westphalia side, who've conceded just 25 goals in the German top flight this season.
Bayern may be odds-on favorites and come in outstanding form, but Cologne will enter the match with no expectations, and at kick-off, will have a positive result to hang on to. The big question is whether Bayern can wrestle away two more points.
Date: Friday, February 27
Time: 7:30 p.m. GMT/2:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Allianz Arena, Munich
TV Info: Not available (UK only)/Gol TV (U.S. only)
Live Stream: ESPN (Via BT Sport website (UK only)), Gol TV (U.S. only)
Form Guide
| Bayern | Cologne |
| Paderborn: win | Hannover: draw |
| Shakhtar: draw | Gladbach: loss |
| Stuttgart: win | Paderborn: draw |
| Schalke: draw | Stuttgart: draw |
| Wolfsburg: loss | Hamburg: win |
Predicted line-up
After spending 90 minutes on the bench in Paderborn, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mario Gotze may return to Pep Guardiola's starting XI ahead of the second leg of Bayern's Champions League round-of-16 clash with Shakhtar Donetsk. The pair could well start in midfield with the younger, more advanced David Alaba holding alongside the vice-captain.
Bayern's strongest front three is Franck Ribery, Robert Lewandowski and the ever-impressive Arjen Robben, all of whom can expect to start.
At the back, Holger Badstuber may well be given a run-out against relatively low-risk opposition as he aims to recover form and fitness following a horrendous run of injuries. With Mehdi Benatia injured, he'll be partnered by Jerome Boateng and flanked by Juan Bernat and Rafinha. Manuel Neuer will almost undoubtedly start between the posts.
Cologne coach Peter Stoger will have nearly a full first team to choose from, with only Yannick Gerhardt and long-term absentee Patrick Helmes sidelined. Timo Horn will start between the posts, guarded by Kevin Wimmer and Dominic Maroh. The full-backs will be Jonas Hector and Pawel Olkowski.
In midfield, Adam Matuschyk, Kevin Vogt and Matthias Lehmann are likely central picks, with Marcel Risse and Dusan Svento out wide. Anthony Ujah is most probable to lead the line.
Players to watch
For Bayern, any of the attackers will be fun to watch. Robben has been Mr. Consistent for the Bavarian giants all season long, but it may also be worth paying close attention to Gotze and Lewandowski if and when they play, considering the pressure on both to turn the corner and make good on their potential.
It will also be interesting to see how Badstuber fares considering the amount of time he's spent on the sidelines. He's desperate for minutes, and he's an excellent player when fit and in form.
On the other end, Horn is Cologne's player of the season thus far and looks to be on the cusp of greatness. He could make a real statement against Bayern, as could all among Cologne's back four.
Up front, Ujah has had a good season thus far and would take a big step if he were to shock Bayern. Cologne are very limited in attacking midfield, so he may need to do it all on his own.
Key Battles
Robert Lewandowski v Timo Horn
Lewandowski hit top form last weekend, netting a brace against Paderborn. The Polish striker has had his ups and downs this season, and the pressure on him was heavy heading into the match.
Days before, he'd been benched in Bayern's Champions League round-of-16 clash with Shakhtar Donetsk. He'll now look to build a run of form, the kind that perhaps could result in his reintroduction to the first team for the second leg against the Ukrainian champions.
Facing Lewandowski will be Horn, a goalkeeper who has largely flown under the radar amid the emergence of an outstanding generation of young German goalkeepers. The 21-year-old is younger than Bernd Leno, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Kevin Trapp, but is a Germany under-21 international who's proven himself in his first Bundesliga season. Friday's match could be a big occasion for the youngster.
Arjen Robben v Jonas Hector
Kevin De Bruyne may be in the midst of a phenomenal season, but if the season were to end today, Arjen Robben would probably be named the Bundesliga's Player of the Year. The Dutchman, at 31, is in the midst of his best individual season at Bayern, scoring 16 goals and assisting six more in 18 Bundesliga appearances.
With Lewandowski and Gotze yet to really step up over a long period of time and Ribery having only recently returned from injury, Robben will bear the burden of responsibility to deliver Bayern the push they need to take three points.
Facing Robben will be Jonas Hector, long a forgotten man among Germany's talent pool but one who has made big strides in his career over the course of this season. The 24-year-old was even called up to Joachim Low's Nationalmannschaft in the fall, earning his debut cap in a Euro 2016 qualifier against Gibraltar in November. The left-back faces a big challenge if he is to impose himself in the German national team, but it's games like Friday's in which stars emerge. The stage is set; now he'll have to put his best foot forward.
Odds (Via Odds Shark)
Bayern: 1-9
Draw: 9-1
Cologne: 18-1
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