The 1. FC Köln travels as “blatant outsider” to the DFB Cup derby in Bayer 04 Leverkusen with “the German Messi”. In the ranks one hopes for pure joy.
Gerhard Struber was enthusiastic. The coach of the 1st FC Köln could hardly calm down at the outlook, on Wednesday evening against Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka and the team from Leverkusen trained by Xabi Alonso. For the Austrian, the DFB Cup quarter-finals are the biggest game so far since moving to FC.
“The German Messi, who comes here from Cologne, or Xhaka, who specifies the rhythm: that we have the chance to meet them and demonstrate our qualities is joy and a way to challenge us,” said Struber on Monday at the press conference. “For the first time in the season we are blatant outsiders. We want to play football free of the liver away.”
Struber knows purely sporty that the FC is standing in front of a huge hurdle. But a duel between the goats and Leverkusen is never just a purely sporty show of strength. At least 4,000 Cologne fans will cover the few kilometers north to support the FC team. In the recent past, the heated atmosphere has caused several times to make FC a leg to the Leverkuseners.
FC won two of the three youngest away games in the BayArena. Five victories and five draws in eight defeats in the past ten years are not a bad balance for the Cologne residents. Leverkusen may be the reigning double winner, but a derby would not be a derby if the FC would not calculate a chance as an outsider.
On Wednesday evening, those responsible also rely on the power of fans. “The joy we have should also have a fan. The path is not far, it will be loud,” said Thomas Kessler on Monday. However, the license player leader also hopes that apart from the space – apart from the cheering calls – it will remain quiet. Even if the security authorities adapt to a high -risk game.
“I have no special information that was brought to me separately. We had a floodlight game not so long ago, so it stayed calm,” said Kessler. “I can only appeal. We hope that everything will remain peaceful.” Aggressive should only be on the lawn, Struber wants to take care of his team. To celebrate with the fans in the end. If the goats actually succeed, the first semi -finals would be the big surprise in 23 years. In 2002 the FC failed in the semi -finals – in extension at Bayer Leverkusen.