Despite new staff worries and noticeable wear and tear, 1. FC Köln want to score points at 1. FC Slovácko in order to maintain their chances of progressing in the Conference League.
“We have the chance to be successful here. But Slovácko’s results so far show how difficult it will be,” said coach Steffen Baumgart after the final training session.
After the fourth defeat in the fifth competitive game at 0:5 in Mainz last Friday, the Cologne team want to do better on Thursday (6:45 p.m.) in the duel with the Czech club for captain and former Leverkusen professional Michal Kadlec in Uherské Hradiste.
However, the staffing problems have increased. “It looks like Kristian Pedersen and Jonas Hector won’t be there tomorrow. We still have 24 hours, but as of now we’re assuming that we’ll have to come up with something,” complained Baumgart. “In Jonas, someone who is a special player for us is out. That spoils the mood. But now it’s time to look up again.”
The Cologne captain had sustained a wound on his left foot a few minutes earlier in the final training session. “Have shit on your feet, have shit on your feet,” Baumgart commented on the ongoing bad luck with injuries. In addition to Hector and Pedersen, Dejan Ljubicic, Julian Chabot, Tim Lemperle, Mathias Olesen and Jan Thielmann are also unavailable.
“I expect an open game”
Irrespective of the failures, Baumgart is doing everything in his power to stay in European competition with his team. After the 4:2 success in the first duel with Slovácko and the 1:1 in Nice, the Cologne team would be safe in the next round with two wins in the remaining group games in Slovácko and next Thursday at home against Nice.
The Czechs will by no means make it easy for the Cologne team, who were once again barred from selling away tickets as a result of a UEFA penalty. “I’m sure that Cologne has respect,” said Kadlec in an interview with the “Kölnische Rundschau”. “I’m expecting an open game. At the moment it looks like Belgrade will go straight through first and that a three-way battle between Nice, Cologne and us for second place in the playoffs will develop.”
Going into the 5th matchday, FC are third in the table (four points) and one point behind Nice and four behind Belgrade in the top two places. Only the first in the group qualifies directly for the round of 16. The eight second move into an upstream knockout round against the eight Europa League relegated.