Exclusive! Kwasniok before his first Bayern duel
Jan 12, 2026 10:39 p.m. | 3:47m
On Wednesday evening, 1. FC Cologne hosts FC Bayern. For head coach Lukas Kwasniok it is his first time against the German industry croissant.
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Yes, dear spectators, we are looking forward to a really exciting game. Hopefully also at the first FC Cologne against Bayern Munich. And of course the whole of Germany is wondering. Could Cologne be the first team to beat FC Bayern this season? A big question, and we’ll pass it straight on to head coach Lukas Kwasniak. Thank you for your time, Luke. Do you believe in such a miracle?
Anything is possible in football. That’s just the way it is in every game, it starts from zero. And the probabilities are just different every time. And the probability is slightly lower against Bayern than perhaps against other teams. But it is there and as long as it is there we will try to use it. I think we already proved that in the cup game that we could stress them out. And of course we’re trying to expand that now. And Bayern need a less than ideal day. That really rarely happens to them. That will be one aspect of the game, that we have to be over the top and they don’t have to be quite at their limit.
Lukas If you look at the table you are the best newcomer. They are in eleventh place. Nevertheless, they have this streak of seven games without a win. How much does that bother you?
No. Burden is the wrong word. I think that in these seven games we came very close at least three, if not four times. This bit is currently not on our site. But unfortunately that’s part of being a newcomer. Such phases in which you have to stay calm, stay focused and just look at your performance. And if you look at the performances, then I would say that you can see a team with a very good spirit, with a lot of willingness, with a lot of dedication, that gives themselves completely and of course reaches its limits at one point or another. That’s why you’re a climber.
Do you now also notice this power from this traditional club? If there is such a winless streak now that this will be completely blamed on you? It’s the coach.
Yes, but it was like that the whole time, so I had the feeling that the club always had a lot of power. So it would be bad if I hadn’t felt it at the beginning, but the impact was simply positive. And now it just so happens that there is a little more criticism.
Does that not affect you at all? Does that leave you cold?
No, that’s not the case! It’s relatively normal that everything that affects you directly, you take it to heart. And if there is a poster there, you can’t avoid it. And that’s why it did something to me a little bit.
Have you questioned yourself?
Well, basically, in life you should always question yourself and not always perceive criticism as destructive in some way, but it can also be constructive. And because that was the case, that’s what we should do. Anything else would be presumptuous. Knowing full well that in the end I can’t please everyone. My job is to be at peace with myself when I look in the mirror when I brush my teeth in the morning. And in that sense, as long as I am, I think it’s all fine.