Having enjoyed their annual Oktoberfest visit on Monday, FC Bayern Women now return to business as they host Köln for Matchday 5 in the Google Pixel Bundesliga on Saturday (kick-off: 2pm CEST). The goal for Bayern is clear as they seek their next three points at the Campus to retain their lead at the top of the table. Here’s all you need to know in our preview.
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The champions have started their Bundesliga title defence with a perfect record of four wins from their opening four games, scoring 17 goals and conceding three. The opening 2-0 victory at Turbine Potsdam was then followed with big wins at home to RB Leipzig (6-2) and Hoffenheim (5-1). Alexander Straus’s team then extended their record unbeaten run to 43 Bundesliga matches with last week’s 4-0 victory at Werder Bremen, keeping them two points clear of Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen in the early standings.
Bayern also boast a perfect record against Köln, winning all 12 Bundesliga meetings to date and keeping clean sheets in 11 of those games. Last season’s results saw a 5-0 victory in Cologne after an earlier 2-0 win in Munich.
Klara Bühl leads the Bundesliga for assists this season with four.
Opponent: Köln
Things could hardly have got off to a worse start this season for Köln. They followed their opening 2-1 defeat to Leipzig and penalty shootout elimination to rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach in the DFB Cup with a 2-2 draw against Essen, which remains their only point in 2024/25. The following game produced a heavy 5-1 defeat at Wolfsburg, while last weekend saw a 2-0 loss to Freiburg. The Cologne club are currently second from bottom in the table.
Team news
Bayern host Köln still without Lena Oberdorf (cruciate ligament), Katharina Naschenweng (knee) and Franziska Kett (ankle). Magdalena Eriksson’s inclusion is also still up in the air after knee issues have kept her out recently. Captain Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir will definitely be watching from the sidelines as she serves a suspension for last week’s red card.
Alexander Straus’s team boast the best attack in the Bundesliga with 17 goals scored.
Pre-match quotes
Mala Grohs (goalkeeper): “We can’t be deceived by Köln’s results so far. They had games where they were attacking and actually should’ve got results. However, we’re expecting an opponent that sits back on Saturday, defends well and is tough to crack.”
Clara Schöne (assistant coach): “We showed great character last time out against Bremen and scored three goals despite being a player down. That shows maturity. Now the focus is on Saturday’s game against Köln. We’ll prepare like we do for every other opponent. Only after can we turn out focus to the Champions League game against Arsenal.”
Watch episode 4 of the women’s documentary ‘More than 90 Minutes’:
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