News blog about 1. FC Cologne
Diagnosis confirmed: next central defender is out!
Updated 11/30/2025 – 11:04 amReading time: 40 mins.
1. FC Köln is playing first class again this season. In the news ticker on t-online you will find all the important reports about the “billy goats”.
Sunday, November 30, 2025
The 1. FC Cologne confirmed Dominique Heintz’s injury from the away game at Werder Bremen on Sunday. The central defender went down without any interference from the opponent and was substituted in the 12th minute. As the Billy Goats explained, an MRI scan revealed a “small muscle fiber tear in the adductor area.”
FC left it open how long Heintz will be out. But according to Joel Schmied, the 32-year-old is also threatened with being out by Christmas. Luca Kilian and Timo Hübers will probably be missing for the rest of the season. FC currently only has two trained central defenders (Rav van den Berg and Cenk Özkacar) available.
Saturday, November 29, 2025
The 1st FC Cologne has to accept the next personnel setback. Dominique Heintz had to be substituted injured in the away game at Werder Bremen on Saturday. The central defender suffered a muscle injury in his left thigh in the opening quarter of an hour without any opposition.
An MRI scan on Sunday will show how long Heintz will be out. After Luca Kilian, Timo Hübers and Joel Schmied, the fourth central defender is at risk of being missing for a longer period of time. And that after Rav van den Berg had just celebrated his comeback after a three-month injury break.
Friday, November 28, 2025
Actually, Rav van den Berg would not be a candidate for the Billy Goats’ starting eleven on Bundesliga Saturday, when 1. FC Köln plays against SV Werder Bremen. Lukas Kwasniok confirmed this on Friday. But the FC coach may have to act against his own convictions. “I have to admit that this consideration would not have been present in the case of a fit Joel Schmied.”
However, Schmied is out with a muscle injury, which is why the Billy Goats are missing three central defenders. Van den Berg could be back in the starting line-up two and a half months after his shoulder surgery. “I have a responsibility to the players,” Kwasniok said. If the other players were fit, “I wouldn’t have taken the risk.”
So the 44-year-old has to consider whether he should immediately throw last summer’s top transfer back into the deep end after his recovery. “That is the only open question for the starting eleven,” explained Kwasniok on Friday, who will also have to do without Ragnar Ache in Bremen. The striker is out with a mild concussion.