Ahead of the massive second leg against Arsenal, Bayern Munich clinched a 2-0 win against FC Koln in the Bundesliga on Saturday. It was a thoroughly entertaining game dominated by Bayern. However, Die Roten’s finishing left a lot to be desired, whilst at the other end of the pitch the Billy Goats were allowed too many goal-scoring opportunities. Let us now look at some key takeaways from the game.
Changes in the starting lineup and the dugout
With one eye on Wednesday’s big game against Arsenal, Thomas Tuchel made several changes, keeping several senior players fresh for Wednesday. Zsolt Low was in charge of the Bavarian side on the touchline since Tuchel was serving a one-match suspension.
Seven changes were made to the starting lineup that played against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday. Sven Ulreich replaced Manuel Neuer in goal. With Alphonso Davies suspended for the upcoming clash with Arsenal, Noussair Mazraoui replaced the Canadian in the left-back position.
Raphael Guerreiro and Aleksandar Pavlovic replaced Leon Goretzka and Konrad Laimer in the midfield. In the attack, Harry Kane played ahead of a changed front three. Mathys Tel came in for the injured Serge Gnabry on the left wing. Thomas Muller played in the number ten position, while Kingsley Coman started on the right flank. Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sane were rested for this game.