“Köln are a force in front of a sell-out home crowd”

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26 October 2023, 13:15 yayınlandı

Unlike VfB Stuttgart, 1. FC Köln have fallen below expectations in the Bundesliga so far this season. The Rhineland outfit occupy 16^thplace with just one point from a possible 18 so far, but VfB head coach Sebastian Hoeneß is wary of Steffen Baumgart’s team. “It creates a distorted picture [of Köln] in my opinion,” he said. “Judging by their recent performances, Köln should be in a much better position. I’m expecting them to make life difficult for us with all the intensity and power they can muster. Köln are a force in front of a sell-out home crowd, and we need to be very well prepared.”

VfB striker Serhou Guirassy knows Köln particularly well, having spent two and a half years in the cathedral city. “Serhou has spoken with a lot of respect and positivity about his time in Cologne, even though he was injured for quite a lot of the time,” Hoeneß said of the 27-year-old. “He gained important experience in that time, which has helped him in his career.”

Hoeneß is sweating over the fitness of Silas and Dan-Axel Zagadou after last Friday’s win over SV Darmstadt 98. “Silas has problems with his ankle,” he explained. “He’s spent the entire week on the training pitch but hasn’t been able to take part in everything. Daxo has suffered a reaction in his muscle. He missed training on Wednesday and worked on his own today [Thursday]. We’ll have to see how things develop overnight.”

The VfB boss will definitely be without Nikolas Nartey and Wooyeong Jeong, who has helped South Korea reach the quarter-finals of the Asian Games football tournament. Saturday afternoon’s match also comes too soon for Josha Vagnoman. “Josha is training with us after making a great recovery from his long-term injury, and he’s setting an example in training,” Hoeneß said. “I’m expecting him to join us in Wolfsburg, but there’s a chance he might only return after the next international break.”