Bundesliga: Bayern Aiming to Stop Streaking Koln

Koln vs Bayern Munich

Two streaking teams in the Bundesliga will face off at the RheinEnergieStadion on Sunday night as FC Koln and Bayern Munich will look to boost their respective campaigns.

Bayern Munich have put the entire league on notice as they rose to the top of the standings with 43 points. They are aiming to continue their rampant run in order to break away from the others once and for all.

On the other hand, Koln have been making a run as well as they fight off relegation. They are currently placed 13^th at the table with 23 points and will look to build more momentum gunning for their fifth win in their last six fixtures.

The Bavarians have the upper hand versus the Billy Goats in their head-to-head matchups so it’s no surprise that they are heavily favoured in our Bundesliga 2020 odds. But as they say in football, anything is possible.

With the way Koln have been playing as of late, they might make this more interesting as it looks for our SBOBET football fans.

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Serie A

Talking points

Bayern Munich getting contributions from everyone

The Bavarians had to go through adversity in the first half of the season, as they hover around the third and fourth spot after suffering some uncharacteristic losses.

With their players getting injured plus being busy playing in the DFB Pokal and in the Champions League, Bayern Munich had its bouts with inconsistency, paving an opening for the likes of Borussia Monchengladbach and RB Leipzig to be the league leaders momentarily.

Something needed to change at the time, and they made Niko Kovac the main casualty. They replaced him with a heady mentor in Hansi Flick who has put the club back on track by stringing some important wins.

When the calendar turned to 2020, Bayern simply flipped the switch. They dominated their opponents in Hertha BSC, Schalke, and Mainz by scoring a whopping average of 4.0 goals per game.

While Robert Lewandowski gets the majority of the praise, let’s not forget their other players in Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry, and Thiago Alcantara. The Bayern trio at the midfield looked to have fresher legs and they play with more fire under Flick, leading to numerous Bundesliga 2020 highlights.

Their defence has been in sync as well as they’ve only conceded one goal in their past few outings. Benjamin Pavard, Jerome Boateng, David Alaba, and Manuel Neuer have formed an impenetrable wall at the back while their fans have also witnessed the massive improvement of Alphonso Davies.

The 19-year-old offers huge upside on both ends for the Bavarians. Davies has shown glimpses of his playmaking ability and his youth serves him well in terms of preventing attackers from getting their way.

It also helps that Bayern are entering the easier part of their schedule since they won’t be facing any top-four teams in the next few weeks, so that should give them more opportunities to run away with the lead at the top.

Markus Gisdol making his mark for Koln

The Billy Goats have had an up-and-down campaign for the most part, which is why it’s refreshing to see them gain some rhythm in their last few fixtures.

After losing eight out of their first 11 games this term, Koln were in danger to be relegated and a change was needed to be done.

They started off by firing Achim Beierlorzer at the start of November, as the club was coming from losses against Fortuna, Hoffenheim, and Saarbrucken in the DFB Pokal. They replaced him with the less-heralded Markus Gisdol, to which most fans had doubts at the start.

Markus Gisdol eyes Koln's seventh Bundesliga win in a clash against Bayern Munich — FC Cologne manager Markus Gisdol looks on during match against Borussia Dortmund at the Signal Iduna Park

Gisdol has worked wonders since he arrived in the scene. Although they endured a rough beating against RB Leipzig on his first appearance, Gisdol drew out more production from his top players.

Jhon Cordoba is one of those beneficiaries as he’s recorded seven goals already this season, while defender Sebastiaan Bornauw emerged as their second leading scorer with four so far.

Tactics-wise, Koln didn’t make any drastic changes. Gisdol simply made Koln play with more inspiration and assertiveness particularly on the defencive end.

This time, they will face a daunting task on stopping the Bavarians. And perhaps, this will be the perfect way to gauge themselves against the league’s elite.

History

Bayern Munich (19) and Koln (15) have taken more points across the last seven matchdays than any other sides in the league. That goes to show their respective forms prior to this match.

Koln have been dying to get a win against Bayern Munich as they failed to do so in their last 11 Bundesliga fixtures.

The Billy Goats have been invincible at home, winning their last four games there as they are still unbeaten under the Markus Gisdol era.

Betting tip

	Koln vs. Bayern Munich	Bayern Munich Asian Handicap -1.75 @ 1.73
	February 16, 10:30(GMT+8)

As mentioned, Bayern Munich are the hot favourites placed at 1.22, while Koln are at 9.50, and chances of a draw are at 6.80, based on the 1×2 market.

If checking goals is your thing, Total Goal 2-3 looks to be the safest bet given the quality of our strikers in this game. However, Total Goal 4-6 appears to be probable as well, especially if Robert Lewandowski goes on fire.

The defending champions are on a roll right now after enduring a grueling test for the first half of the season. And with their lineup having fully recovered from injuries, it’s expected that they’ll be on a rampage once more on the road.