1. FC Cologne
Cologne (AP) – When he returns to Union Berlin, Cologne head coach Steffen Baumgart will have to do without four professionals.
The ailing and ill Benno Schmitz, Timo Horn and Kingsley Schindler as well as Ondrej Duda (suspended) are not available for the Bundesliga game An der Alten Försterei on Friday (8.30 p.m. / DAZN). For this, the football coach of 1. FC Köln can fall back on Louis Schaub again. Central defender Luca Kilian will play despite a hand fracture.
Former Union professional Baumgart is looking forward to the floodlit game on Friday evening. “It’s a pure football stadium, so things will heat up right from the start. It’ll be a nice experience. We just have to make sure it’s a nice experience for us too,” said Baumgart. “And before the question comes: Union can play football well without Max Kruse,” said the FC coach.
However, the statistics do not necessarily speak for the Cologne team, who have not yet won any of their five Bundesliga games against Union and are without a win in a total of seven competitive games against the Köpenickers. In the fight for an international starting place, the Rhinelanders, who recently only managed one win in four Bundesliga games, need every point in the final spurt of the season.