Rhine derby: Gladbach’s sting runs deep – 1. FC Köln’s Selke is on the verge of a comeback

After the Derby defeat in the first half of the season

The sting from the duel in the first half of the season is still deep at Borussia Mönchengladbach. On the 8th Bundesliga matchday, the Fohlenelf lost 3-1 in the derby against their big rivals 1. FC Köln and showed one of their weakest performances of the season. “We take with us the feeling from the last derby – this sting – that we didn’t do a good job at all that day,” said coach Gerardo Seoane on Thursday.

But the 45-year-old is only looking forward. “The rest is yesterday’s news. We take this negative experience with us as additional motivation to be able to give our spectators a hopefully enjoyable afternoon and a victory.” However, in the last six meetings with FC, Gladbach only emerged victorious once.

In the 98th derby, Seoane will have to do without his injured offensive players Alassane Pléa and Tomas Cvancara. “Everyone except Pléa and Cvancara will be available,” reported the coach. Pléa, who has had foot problems for weeks, is Gladbach’s top scorer in the Bundesliga this season with seven goals. Cvancara is currently suffering from a torn ankle ligament.

1. FC Köln: Uth suffers setback in rehab – Selke faces comeback

1. FC Köln also has to continue to do without well-known attackers in the fight against relegation. There is no forecast as to when Mark Uth, who had a knee injury and was only on the pitch for 256 minutes in the league, could become an option again. “Mark suffered a small setback during the course of the rehabilitation measure, which meant that we were unable to move forward as we had planned,” explained Licensing Division Manager Thomas Kessler, adding that there is currently no exact schedule for a make a comeback.

In January, coach Timo Schultz was still hoping that the 32-year-old could return to training in “two to three weeks”. Uth was out for long stretches last season. His contract with Effzeh ends in the summer of 2025. In addition to Uth, Luca Waldschmidt also has to continue to fit.

Striker Davie Selke is expected to be back in the squad for the first time after a week-long break. The 29-year-old had been missing since mid-January. “Davie was able to train fully all week,” reported Schultz, but didn’t want to reveal whether he had enough to make the starting eleven. “We’ll have to wait and see how he copes with the increasing load.” Because it won’t help “if we throw him in too early.”

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