Koln have experienced a very inconsistent 2022-23 campaign, winning 10, drawing 12 and losing 11 of their 33 Bundesliga matches, so there is little surprise to see them sitting 10th in the table at present.
Nevertheless, Steffen Baumgart’s side still have a chance to secure back-to-back top-half finishes as they sit three points behind ninth-placed Mainz 05, who face title-chasing Borussia Dortmund away from home in their final game of the season.
Ten points accumulated from a possible 15 available has helped Koln climb away from the relegation picture and into mid-table, with consecutive wins over Bayer Leverkusen and Hertha Berlin followed by a 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen last weekend.
The Billy Goats were on course to claim maximum points courtesy of a first-half strike from Steffen Tigges, but they were ultimately forced to settle for just a solitary point after Romano Schmid scored a 73rd-minute equaliser.
Koln will hope to conclude the campaign on a high, but that seems a tall order considering that they have lost each of their last eight Bundesliga home meetings against Bayern Munich, their longest-ever losing run on home soil against any opponent in the German top flight.
For the first time since the 2011-12 campaign, perennial champions Bayern Munich enter the final matchday of a Bundesliga season not sitting at the top of the table; Indeed, Borussia Dortmund were perched at the summit that season and went on to lift the title, and history could repeat itself this weekend.
After winning three successive matches against Hertha Berlin, Werder Bremen and Schalke 04, the Bavarian giants suffered a 3-1 home defeat against RB Leipzig last Saturday and have subsequently allowed Dortmund – who beat Augsburg 3-0 last time out – to leapfrog them into top spot.
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Bayern appeared to be in control heading into half time courtesy of a first-half opener from Serge Gnabry, but Thomas Tuchel’s side fell apart after the interval as goals in the final half-hour from Konrad Laimer – who will join Bayern on a free this summer – Christopher Nkunku and Dominik Szoboszlai condemned the hosts to their fifth league defeat of the season.
Tuchel has failed to make the desired impact in the Bayern hotseat since replacing Julian Nagelsmann in March, having won just five of his 11 competitive matches in charge of the Bavarian giants; Bayern have suffered more defeats in this period under Tuchel (four) than they did in their previous 37 matches under Nagelsmann (three).
Bayern head into Saturday’s crucial contest having dropped more points from winning positions than any other Bundesliga team in the second half of the season (13). The 32-time top-flight champions can ill-afford to crumble under pressure against a Koln side who have picked up the most points from losing positions (16) so far this term.
Bayern were forced to share the spoils in a 1-1 home draw with Koln in January, with Joshuaq Kimmichnetting a 90th-minute equaliser, although they did secure a comprehensive 4-0 victory in their last visit to RheinEnergieStadion 12 months earlier.
