Newsblog for 1. FC Cologne
Two free days to reward the new league leader
Updated on 30.03.2025 – 3:07 p.m.Reading time: 43 min.
The 1. FC Köln is the football club from the cathedral city. In the New sticker on T-Online you will find all the important messages about the “billy goats”.
The 1. FC Köln greets the top of the table after the 27th matchday of the 2nd Bundesliga. The victory at SC Paderborn promoted the goats seven games before the end of the season in one place after Hamburger SV against Elversberg had not got beyond a draw. As a reward, coach Gerhard Struber released his players for two days.
It is not trained on Sunday and Monday. The players only meet at the Geißbockheim on Tuesday to prepare for the next home game against Hertha BSC. Then the FC not only wants to defend first place, but also to defend or even expand its lead over the competition (one point on the HSV, four points on Kaiserslautern, five on Paderborn).
Mikail Özkan surprisingly celebrated his debut for the professionals of 1. FC Köln on Saturday. In the game at SC Paderborn in the 2nd Bundesliga, the 22-year-old was substituted for Max Finkgräfe shortly before the end. Özkan is a regular central defender of the U21 of the billy goats in the Regionalliga West.
It is already the seventh debut of a young Cologne young player this season. After Jonas Urbig, Julian Pauli, Elias Bakatukanda, Jaka Cuber Potocnik, Neo Telle and Oliver Schmitt, Özkan now came as a young player of the billy goats for his first professional minutes for FC.
As if the 1. FC Köln had not already enough personnel worries before the important away game at SC Paderborn, captain Timo Hüber also reported on Friday before departure to East Westphalia due to a gastrointestinal infection. Since Dominique Heintz also has to fit due to a muscle injury, only a regular inner defender with Joël Schmied rose the team bus.
Coach Gerhard Struber also did without Julian Pauli, who has been in team training again since this week, but is still spared after his lengthy head injury. For the first time, U21 defender Mikail Özkan made it into the professional squad. In addition, Damion Downs, Jacob Christensen, Luca Kilian, Linton Maina and Jusuf Gazibegovic are still out. Dejan Ljubicic is also missing.
The squad at a glance
Goal: Philipp Pentke, Anthony Racioppi, Marvin Schwäbe, Defense: Jan Thielmann – Eric Martel, Mikail Özkan, Joel Schmied, Neo Telle – Max Finkgräfe, Learst Pacarada, Midfield: Denis Huseinbasic, Emin Kujovic, Mathias Olesen – Florian Kainz, Marvin Obuz – Luca Waldschmidt, Mark Uth, Storm: Tim Lemperle, Imad Rondic, Oliver Schmitt, Steffen Tigges
Several clubs hunt Linton Maina
Thursday, March 27, 2025
Linton Maina is missing from 1. FC Köln for several weeks due to an ankle injury. Despite the long failure, the interested parties from the Bundesliga still seem to be in line for the attacker. No wonder, after all, Maina with ten templates and three goals is still one of the absolute top scorers at the promotion candidate and also free of charge in summer.
As early as spring, SV Werder Bremen and FC Augsburg were traded as possible interested parties for the fast winger. As the “Sportbild” now reports, the 1st FSV Mainz 05, Hamburger SV and even FC Erzrival Borussia Mönchengladbach are said to have expressed their interest.
However, Maina himself had already sounded through that an extension at 1. FC Köln was able to imagine. However, only on the condition that the direct return to the Bundesliga succeeds. A decision regarding its future should therefore be a few more weeks. However, he shouldn’t lack options in summer.
The sporty, poor appearances for the players of 1. FC Köln also affected with a view to their personal market value. Only three professionals were given the recent adaptation of the portal transfermarkt.de with an upgrading. Damion Downs made the biggest jump. The striker was raised from three million euros to five million euros and is therefore one of the second most valuable players in the FC squad behind Eric Martel (six million).