Bayern Munich will endeavour to make an immediate return to winning ways in the Bundesliga when they host FC Koln at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night.
Julian Nagelsmann's side were held to a 1-1 draw by RB Leipzig in their first game back on Friday, while their visitors taught Werder Bremen a footballing lesson in a 7-1 mauling.
Match preview
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Hoping to show former manager Julian Nagelsmann what he was missing, Leipzig dug deep to hold Bayern to a low-scoring draw on Friday at the Red Bull Arena, ending a 10-game winning run in all competitions for the previously goal-happy Bavarians.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting - one of the unexpected success stories of Bayern's season - broke the deadlock just before the break, but left-back Marcel Halstenberg responded in the 52nd minute to ensure a share of the spoils between the two top-five clubs.
Despite dropping points for the sixth time this season, Bayern unsurprisingly still hold an unassailable lead at the top of the Bundesliga table, collecting 35 points from their opening 16 games to sit five clear of Eintracht Frankfurt, Freiburg and Union Berlin.
Choupo-Moting's strike against Leipzig marked Bayern's 50th goal of the 2022-23 Bundesliga season, as Nagelsmann's side had scored at least twice in eight successive league games before Friday, although one would expect such a ruthless streak to return once the cobwebs have been dusted off.
It has been over 12 months since Bayern last lost a Bundesliga game at the Allianz Arena, and they have won each of their last four such matches - remarkably scoring at least four goals each time and notching six against Mainz and Werder Bremen - although the latter suffered an even heavier defeat at the home of the Bavarians' upcoming opponents.
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Steffen Baumgart was in seventh heaven as his Koln side tore Werder Bremen apart in Saturday's contest, where both sides were aiming to end lengthy winless runs in the Bundesliga, but the contest was a foregone conclusion within the first 36 minutes.
Steffen Tigges and Ellyes Skhiri both bagged braces alongside efforts from Linton Maina, Denis Huseinbasic and a Marco Friedl own goal, while Bremen scored the most inconsequential of consolations through Niclas Fullkrug in the 38th minute, by which point Koln had already hit them for five.
Baumgart's men had developed a taste for goals in their winter friendlies, but few could have envisaged the demolition job that occurred at the RheinEnergieSTADION, allowing Koln to make the leap to 10th place in the Bundesliga table before Bayer Leverkusen - who are two points behind - take on Borussia Monchengladbach on Sunday.
Prior to Saturday's emphatic success, Koln had posted four losses and a draw from their five pre-World Cup Bundesliga matches, but Fullkrug's strike last time out made it 12 games without a Bundesliga clean sheet for the Billy Goats.
Bayern could only scrape past Koln 3-2 at the Allianz Arena in the 2021-22 season, but the Bavarians have now posted nine successive wins over the Billy Goats, whose most recent win over the reigning Bundesliga champions came all the way in February 2011.
Team News
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With long-term leg victim Manuel Neuer sidelined for the remainder of the campaign, Yann Sommer made his debut for Bayern in goal against Leipzig and will likely be protected by an identical back four, as Noussair Mazraoui and Lucas Hernandez remain absent and Dayot Upamecano should be fine despite failing to complete training on Monday.
The leg injury that forced Sadio Mane out of the World Cup should keep him out until next month too, while Bouna Sarr could potentially return to team training from a troublesome tendon injury at the end of the month, but he will miss out once again here.
Restricted to a peripheral role this season, Thomas Muller will likely take up another spot on the bench as 19-year-old protege Jamal Musiala - who came off after 68 minutes against Leipzig - earns another chance in the number 10 spot.
As for Koln, two-goal Tunisian hero Skhiri was forced off with an ankle injury in the 67th minute of his side's success against Werder Bremen, and while the extent of the damage is unclear, he is facing a race against time to come back for this one.
Skhiri is joined in a well-occupied treatment room by Mark Uth, Kristian Pedersen, Luca Kilian, Jan Thielmann, Sebastian Andersson and Florian Dietz, and Baumgart has also lost centre-back Timo Hubers due to sickness - Nikola Soldo should deputise as a result.
Should Skhiri's ankle issue render him unavailable for Tuesday, either Dejan Ljubicic or Mathias Olesen should deputise in the engine room alongside Eric Martel.
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Pavard, Upamecano, De Ligt, Davies; Kimmich, Goretzka; Sane, Musiala, Gnabry; Choupo-Moting
FC Koln possible starting lineup:
Schwabe; Schmitz, Soldo, Chabot, Hector; Maina, Skhiri, Martel, Kainz; Tigges, Huseinbasic
We say: Bayern Munich 3-1 FC Koln
Facing a steadfast Bayern backline is a different kettle of fish to tackling an out-of-sorts Werder Bremen side for Koln, who will nevertheless feel confident of breaching the Bavarians' depleted defence after their magnificent exploits in front of goal at the weekend.
However, Skhiri's ankle injury is not what the doctor ordered for Baumgart's side, who continue to struggle for resilience at the back and should be brought crashing back down to earth by the goal-happy champions.
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Ben Knapton
