When he returns to Union Berlin, Cologne head coach Steffen Baumgart will have to do without four professionals.
The injured and ill Benno Schmitz, Timo Horn and Kingsley Schindler as well as Ondrej Duda (suspended) are not available for the Bundesliga game at An der Alten Försterei on Friday (8.30 p.m., here in the BZ live ticker).
The coach of 1. FC Köln can fall back on Louis Schaub for this. Central defender Luca Kilian will play despite a hand fracture.
The former Union professional Stephen Baumgart looking forward to the floodlight game on Friday evening. “It’s a pure football stadium, so things will heat up right from the start. This will be a nice experience. We just have to make sure that 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.
also read
► Union’s Michel warns of Cologne’s coach: “Baumgart will light a fire!”
► Cologne coach Baumgart: Fischer is the best coach there is
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.