Cologne take on Bayern Munich this Wednesday night at the RheinEnergieStadion, and to be honest, it’s a mountain to climb. The hosts have not beaten Bayern in over a decade, and with the visitors flying under Vincent Kompany, it’s looking like another long evening for the Billy Goats. Still, football’s beauty lies in surprises, and Cologne will cling to that hope.

Bayern, who recently beat Club Brugge 4–0 in the Champions League and edged Monchengladbach’s ten men in a comfortable 3–0 win, as reported by Softfootball, come into this with 16 straight wins across all competitions. They are not just winning; they are steamrolling. Kompany’s system looks balanced, ruthless, and, frankly, terrifying to play against.

For Cologne, it’s been rough lately. They have picked up only four points from their last five Bundesliga games and are still recovering from that gut-wrenching 96th-minute loss at Dortmund. No shots on target, no joy, no luck. And now Bayern. That’s football’s cruel sense of humour.

Team News

Cologne’s injury list remains long. Jan Thielmann, Luca Kilian (ACL), Rav van den Berg, and Timo Hübers are all sidelined, while Cenk Özkacar faces a late fitness test. Kilian’s absence in particular leaves them short of defensive options.

For Bayern, Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies remain out, but Kompany confirmed several key returns in his pre-match press conference that was shared on the club’s official X account:

Things are looking good. Raphaël Guerreiro is back to full fitness, with Josip Stanišić and Serge Gnabry also back. The squad is where it needs to be going into the next three games.

Sporting Director Christoph Freund added that young goalkeeper Jonas Urbíg will start, praising his development:

He’s already at a very high level at a young age… He’s on the perfect path right now.

Possible Lineups

Cologne (3-4-2-1): Schwabe; Ozkacar, Martel, Heintz; Lund, Huseinbasic, Johannesson, Sebulonsen; El Mala, Kaminski; Bulter.

Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1): Urbig; Bischof, Kim, Upamecano, Boey; Goretzka, Kimmich; Diaz, Gnabry, Olise; Jackson.

Softfootball’s Prediction

Kompany knows the dangers Cologne pose on the counter. He warned:

They are very alert and quick to close down space… incredibly dangerous on the break.

Still, Bayern’s depth and sharpness make them heavy favourites. Freund echoed that ambition:

Everyone wants to come back to Berlin — but we know we must earn it first.

Cologne will fight with spirit, but Bayern’s rhythm and quality should tell. Expect the visitors to control possession and punish defensive lapses late on.

Prediction: Cologne 0–3 Bayern Munich

Next summer, there could be a number of top centre-backs on the market as free agents, and Liverpool could be at the centre of everything. Ibrahima Konate could fall into this category, but the same can also be said for some of their transfer targets – one of which is Dayot Upamecano.

Upamecano sees his Bayern Munich contract expire in eight months’ time, and as things stand, no agreement has been reached to extend his stay in Bavaria. Liverpool are one of the clubs interested in the France international, although they face competition from Chelsea and Man City, all of whom will be eagerly watching the situation unfold.

Bayern Munich concerned about losing Dayot Upamecano

According to Graeme Bailey (via TBR Football), Upamecano is more likely than not to stay at Bayern, although there are fears that he will not sign a new contract at the Allianz Arena.

“We really have a fascinating summer looming, given some of potential big name free agents that might be available, and especially in the centre-half market. In England we are thinking and talking about Marc Guehi, but in Europe the name many are talking about is French star Dayot Upamecano – who has really been looking the part at Bayern Munich under Vincent Kompany.

More Stories / Latest News

Liverpool manager Arne Slot criticised for “embarrassing” comments – “It’s his job”

Oct 27 2025, 16:04

Sunderland poised to receive Aston Villa offer for 25-year-old star

Oct 27 2025, 15:43

Micah Richards explains reason for Virgil van Dijk struggles at Liverpool

Oct 27 2025, 15:23

“Speaking to sources at a couple of Premier League clubs, they actually believe Upamecano is more likely to stay than leave, but I can tell you Bayern are really worried that Upamecano will have offers presented to him in early 2026 if an agreement with Bayern is not reached. And Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City are all very much in the mix for him, they all rate him highly.”

It will be interesting to see how the situation unfolds with Upamecano, but without a doubt, he would be an excellent signing for the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City.

The post Liverpool and Chelsea given update on defender target as “worry” revealed appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Jonas Urbig says he is satisfied with the team’s performance after a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach, Softfootball reports.

Urbig who was on the bench as he watched Harry Kane inspire Bayern to a win over Dortmund in the Der Klassiker last week, grabbed his opportunity as he replaced Manuel Neuer in goal for the Bundesliga’s match-day 8 encounter.

He shared his thoughts on the game with Bayern Munich’s official X handle. He said:

We defended well, one or two situations aside. The team made it easy for me, I had almost nothing to do. It was a typical game of patience. We had to wear down our opponents in the first half, even though we had some chances we could have taken. We rewarded ourselves in the second half, we scored the goals and won. It was a bit of a derby for me personally, as a former Köln player, I’m particularly glad about it. I have a really good feeling ahead of the cup game at Köln. We turned in a strong team display, we’ll build on that.

Topscorer, Harry Kane had a goal disallowed in the first half but it was no problem as the Bavarians scored three second half goals to win the match. Joshua Kimmich scored the first goal, Raphaël Guerreiro made it 2-0 before 17-year-old Lennart Karl made it 3-0 after Mönchengladbach’s Kevin Stöger had missed a penalty.

The win made Bayern became the second club in Europe’s top five leagues to start a domestic season with 13 straight victories, after AC Milan (1992/93) in all competitions as they stay top of the Bundesliga table with a 100% record.

Borussia Mönchengladbach missed a penalty and went down to 10-men as they lost 3-0 to Bayern Munich in the match-day 8 of the Bundesliga played on Saturday, Softfootball reports.

Harry Kane, who recently scored his 400th career goal during Bayern Munich’s 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund last week did not register a goal as his effort in the first half was ruled out for offside but the Bavarians maintained their perfect start to the season.

It was a delightful win for Bayern Munich and they celebrated it via their official X handle in style.

𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘

3 Goals & 3 Points in Mönchengladbach!! pic.twitter.com/ZU87XgHQ1A

— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) October 25, 2025

Interestingly, the first half of the encounter ended goalless as the home side defended very well against a dangerous Bayern Munich frontline. But Captain, Joshua Kimmich broke Gladbach’s resistance with the opening goal of the game. Former Arsenal winger, Gnabry played a clever pass into the path of Kimmich and although his first shot was blocked, he found the bottom corner on the follow-up.

Bayern carve out a two-goal cushion with a lovely team move as former Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise threaded a pass into the penalty area for Raphaël Guerreiro and he swept the ball beyond Nicolas in goal for the home side to make it 2-0.

Mönchengladbach had the opportunity to reduce the deficit when VAR awarded them a penalty after review but Kevin Stöger’s effort came back off the upright despite sending the Bayern goalkeeper the wrong way.

The Bavarians then wrapped up the game with a third goal from 17-year-old, Lennart Karl, who bends a stunning finish into the far corner. After the win, Bayern became the second club in Europe’s top five leagues to start a domestic season with 13 straight wins, after AC Milan (1992/93) in all competitions.

Bayern Munich remain top of the table with 24 points after winning all their eight matches in the Bundesliga and scoring a whopping 30 goals while Borussia Mönchengladbach are rock bottom with just three points.

Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League delivered drama, goals, and statements of intent from Europe’s heavyweights. Across two nights, the continent’s top clubs flexed their muscles, while others were left scrambling to keep their campaigns alive. Here’s a full roundup of the action from October 21 and 22. Tuesday, October 21: Fireworks in Spain, […]

The post Champions League Matchday 3: Goals Galore and Giants on the March appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Champions League Matchday 3: Goals Galore and Giants on the March appeared first on Soccer News.

Michael Olise’s future is already a hot topic in the Premier League despite his recent move to Bayern Munich. Several English clubs are reportedly monitoring the French winger, who has impressed since leaving Crystal Palace for the Bundesliga champions. Olise has quickly become an important figure for Bayern, delivering creativity and goals in a side […]

The post No release clause in Michael Olise contract – Bayern sporting director Eberl appeared first on Soccer News.

The post No release clause in Michael Olise contract – Bayern sporting director Eberl appeared first on Soccer News.