Positive Records Against Köln

After taking on and beating newcomers SC Paderborn last Tuesday, Bayern now play the Bundesliga’s second promoted club in Saturday’s trip to face FC Köln. The Reds are looking to cement their place at the top of the table but the history of the fixture suggests there are no guarantees when the teams meet in the Rhineland. fcbayern.de presents the big match factfile.

Good record in Cologne

Of the 41 times the clubs have met at FC Köln’s home ground, Bayern have won 18, the home side have won 14, and nine games have ended in draws. FCB are narrowly ahead on goals scored by 73 to 64.

26 points from the last 11 games

FCB’s recent record in Cologne is very impressive, as Munich have won eight of their last 11 trips to the Rhineland metropolis, with two draws and only one defeat.

Awkward opponents Köln

However, the Billy Goats have proved difficult opponents down the years: FCB’s average of 1.62 points per game against Köln is their second-lowest against any of the current Bundesliga clubs. In the all-time Bundesliga stats, Bayern have only lost more often to Bremen (26 times) than the men from Cologne (23).

Goals aplenty

The fixture comes with a near-guarantee of goals as the all-time average goals-per-game stands at 3.3 – and Bayern have scored at least once on their last ten visits to the RheinEnergieStadion. However, Köln currently boast the best defensive record in the top flight with only one goal against in five matches.

Most recent meeting

Bayern triumphed 4-1 at the RheinEnergieStadion on the 34th and last matchday in 2011/12 with goals from Thomas Müller (34, 85), Arjen Robben (54) and a Geromel own goal (52). FCB finished second in the standings, but the defeat meant Köln slipped to 17th and were relegated.

Kircher in charge

Knut Kircher will referee Saturday’s game, with the 45-year-old engineer taking charge of a match involving Munich for the 30th time. He most recently whistled FCB’s 4-0 win at Hannover in February this year. His assistants are Robert Kempter and Thorsten Schiffner, and Thorsten Schriever is the fourth official.