Bayern's task at Köln: continue league form and edge ahead

FC Bayern open Matchday 12 of the Bundesliga away to 1. FC Köln on Friday evening (live text and free Web Radio commentary from 20:30 CET on fcbayern.com and in the FC Bayern app). Following the last international break of the year, Bayern face seven matches before Christmas. Our preview has the key info on the first of those.

Here are the pictures from the final training session on Thursday:

The state of play for Bayern

Because of the late return of several international players, Thomas Tuchel and his squad have had just one training session together to prepare for the game in Cologne. Despite the jet lag, Bayern are determined to perform in the cathedral city. "We have to adapt to the circumstances," demanded the FCB boss in his press conference on Thursday. One advantage of the kick-off time on Friday evening is that Bayern can apply pressure in the title race and at least temporarily knock Bayer 04 Leverkusen, who are in action at Werder Bremen on Saturday, off top spot. 

His side will "be ready" and go into the game "to win it", said the 50-year-old tactician. If the Munich men manage to pick up from where they left off before the international break in the league, then the chances of that are good. Bayern have won their last five Bundesliga matches, scoring an incredible 22 goals and conceding just three in the process.

Catch up on Thomas Tuchel's main statements from the press conference:

The opponents: Köln

Opponents Köln would certainly have imagined a very different season so far. As the team in second-from-bottom place, the Rhinelanders are currently "lowly", as coach Steffen Baumgart put it. Every point helps in getting out of that situation – as the 51-year-old is well aware: "We had a partial success at Bochum and got a point. That might be too little for many here, but in that moment I saw it as the right result after the performance," said the FC boss on Wednesday following the 1-1 draw against their relegation rivals last time out. "We climbed a place with this point, and people forget that too quickly," he added.

After a run of five successive defeats, there's been a discernable upwards trend for the Billy Goats in recent weeks. They've taken five points from their last four games, with just one defeat in that period (albeit a heavy one at RB Leipzig). Therefore, Baumgart believes in his team, even on Friday: "I'm always confident and I won't lose that confidence either."

The facts on the clash with the Rhinelanders:

The team news for Köln vs. FC Bayern

For Bayern, Joshua Kimmich is available again after suspension. Jamal Musiala trained with the ball again on Thursday following his muscle injury but is not yet ready for the trip to Cologne, like Matthijs de Ligt (knee ligament). In addition, Tuchel must "be careful" with Raphaël Guerreiro, who's been nursing a slight muscular problem, and decide after training. There could also be late decisions on the players who had tiring international breaks such as Konrad Laimer, Minjae Kim and Alphonso Davies.

For the hosts, Philipp Pentke, Jacob Christensen and Max Finkgräfe are still doubtful having been sidelined lately. "Everyone else is available," confirmed Baumgart.

Who can forget our last away match in Cologne? 

What the coaches say