FC Bayern on a mission to land eighth straight win at Köln

FC Bayern will play their sixth match in 16 days this Saturday! In the middle of a packed fixture list, the Munich team will travel to the Rhineland for a Bundesliga Matchday 6 clash at 1. FC Köln. The Reds plan to extend their excellent run of seven straight wins against the Billy Goats. For FCB head coach Hansi Flick it'll be a short journey into the past, because from 1990 to 1993 he played for the Rhinelanders. "I always enjoy coming back to Cologne, it was a great time," the 55-year-old said at his virtual press conference on Friday. In our preview from fcbayern.com we provide you with all the information you need about the game in the Cathedral city.

The Bavarians made their final preparations for Saturday's game in Cologne in their final training session on Friday. Check out the best images in our gallery:

The situation for FC Bayern

"We've won seven games in a row. It's easy to forget that," said Bayern head coach Flick before the away game in Cologne. After the enormously strong performances against Bielefeld (4-1), Atlético Madrid (4-0) and Eintracht Frankfurt (5-0), his team completed a 2-1 workmanlike win against Lokomotiv Moscow in the first Champions League away game of the season during the week. On Saturday, the top of the table in the Bundesliga now beckons, at least for a few hours. With twelve points, FCB are currently in second place, one point behind leaders Leipzig, who will be playing in the day's standout fixture at Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday evening (18:30 CEST).

The opponents: 1. FC Köln

Since winning 2-1 at the beginning of March at SC Paderborn, who were later relegated, Köln have gone 15 games without getting all three points in the Bundesliga. After three straight defeats at the beginning of the season, however, things are looking a bit more positive for the Billy Goats again thanks to two 1:1 draws at home to Frankfurt and in Stuttgart. "Every point does us some good and you can feel how it changes things within the team. Every player gains a little bit more self-confidence and the mood improves without first having to artificially add anything to make it do so," explained head coach Markus Gisdol. However, the 51-year-old considers it will be difficult for the club with the billy goat in its club badge to turn things around against the treble winners of all teams, and achieve its first victory of the season on Saturday. You're faced with "the greatest task in world football," says Gisdol.

Team selection, tactics and more: Hear what Hansi Flick had to say ahead of the game in his pre-match press conference:

Team news

In addition to the injured Alphonso Davies (ligament injury) and Tanguy Nianzou (strength training after thigh problems), Bayern will be without the suspended Corentin Tolisso in Cologne. To what extent Flick will rotate in the cathedral city was left open by the 55-year-old: "We're trying to compensate for the strain. We'll do the same in Cologne." One option for the starting XI is Leroy Sané. "He's ready to play again from the beginning," revealed Flick.

Köln coach Markus Gisdol will still have to do without the injured Florian Kainz (knee operation) and Jonas Hector (neck injury). In addition, Anthony Modeste (muscular problems) and Benno Schmitz (ankle problems) have recently been absent from training and are in doubt for Saturday, according to Gisdol.

What the coaches say

Hansi Flick: "We want to get all three points in Cologne too. Every team tries to look as good as possible against us. There's nothing easier than motivating a team who are playing against Bayern. It's all about a lot of passion. Everyone tries to produce 100 percent and to show the quality that's important on the pitch."

Markus Gisdol (Head coach 1. FC Köln): "Bayern are a really good team with really good individual players. It's all about finding our way, whether it's attacking higher up the pitch in phases or starting the attack from  deep. We'll see what comes along. In football anything is possible. There are always upsets."

Check out some of the other most important facts on the clash with the Rhinelanders: