“Going to Köln with great enthusiasm”

As in recent weeks, the team was and remains very concentrated and focused. They have a good mix of relaxedness and focus. I haven’t noticed any change in the tension. The coaching staff consciously decided to have a long training week with five training days. This week, we continued to work on our core skills with full concentration and made good use of the week. Unfortunately, due to the many injuries, we still have a small training group available. The team is still very positive.

1. FC Köln is a team that wants to be promoted. And they’re absolutely justified. Overall, they probably have the best squad in the league, with many first-division players. Alongside HSV, they’re the number one favourite for promotion. Given all the constraints—including, of course, the stadium, which we’re looking forward to—they’re actually a first-division team. They’ve achieved many good results this season. Overall, Köln is very stable, concedes few goals, and plays with a very mature and cohesive approach. Added to that is the high level of individual quality.

Köln is the clear favourite on Saturday evening. They’re under pressure to win. We know we’re consistent in our performances, so we’re traveling to Köln with great enthusiasm and excitement. We want to stay true to what we stand for. We want to have the ball in Köln as well and develop attacking solutions. To do that, we need courage and conviction, as well as the right risk assessment. I expect us to be physically ready to leave everything, absolutely everything, on the pitch. We’ll certainly have to solve things defensively through intensity. If we’re up for it—and I sense that we are—it can be a great evening.

We see the game as something of an experience. It will be a game in front of a fantastic crowd. Köln has one of those stadiums, which I’m really looking forward to. It’s one of the football locations in Germany. We have an outstanding stadium here at Bölle. But you can also feel the magic of football in Köln. We want to enjoy that.

The last few weeks have been a real effort for everyone involved—not just for the players, but also for the entire staff, who have delivered top performances. The last few weeks have been very draining due to the personnel situation with many injuries, as well as the results. The break is therefore a good time for us. We will also use it to give everyone a few days off so we can start the rest of the season full of energy. But first, we’re off to Köln.