Ahead of the derby against Gladbach, Cologne coach Steffen Baumgart gives a cautious all-clear regarding injured goalscorer Anthony Modeste and sees “very good opportunities” for FC to beat Borussia.
Normally, press conferences before games rarely serve to really shed light on the situation. Sometimes the coaches can’t announce anything definitive yet, but most of the time they don’t want to. After all, they like to keep their opponents in the dark as long as possible.
However, Steffen Baumgart was very specific about at least one personnel matter two days before the Rhineland derby – that of Anthony Modeste, who was substituted in Mainz with an extremely painful pelvic contusion.
So far, the goal scorer is on his way back as desired. On Thursday, the 33-year-old took steps that spread optimism. “Tony is back on the training pitch. He feels good, so he will be an option for the game,” Baumgart explained.
It is important that he also walks normally again and not like his own grandfather.
The pain is tolerable, the bruise is receding, the motion sequence fits again. Or as Baumgart puts it: “So far it all looks good for now, but it’s not comparable to a game yet. The important thing is that he walks normally again and not like his own grandfather. “
Modeste has not yet faced the acid test. Nevertheless, Baumgart is confident: “Of course, we haven’t done any duels yet, but I assume that two more days will help him a lot. That’s why he’s more than an option then. “
Modeste will therefore most likely be able to play and in this case also start. But the Cologne coach did not reveal much more than that, holding back on further questions about personnel and systems.
Skhiri can start – but will he be allowed to?
Will key player Ellyes Skhiri now play from the start after his wildcard appearance? Baumgart: “The chances are good, but the thing is that Deja and Salih have done very well in that position.”
Could FC, who usually started with a six with Skhiri but two defensive midfielders without the Tunisian, return to the system with a six? “That would be an option,” said the FC coach, but would also depend on whether they played with two top players – which Baumgart linked with a reference to Modeste, who is not yet 100 per cent clear in purely theoretical terms: “There are still a few questions open.
However, Baumgart was very specific about the opponent and the derby character. The FC coach sees Borussia as “one of the best teams we have and they are not in a clear positive trend now for nothing. They will play for the international places until the end.”
Baumgart is familiar with such explosive neighbourly duels from his stations in Paderborn or at Union Berlin – but not in these dimensions. “For me, it’s the first derby of this size,” he admits frankly. The sporting rivalry between the clubs is the only thing that pleases him.
“Clear goal” and not “just wishful thinking “
And with this one, the new Cologne coach doesn’t want his team’s chances to be lowly despite their high regard for their opponents. “I think it’s nice that I feel we can win this game. We can go in with a clear goal and not just wishful thinking,” he explained, referring to the performances we have delivered, “whether we succeed will be seen. But we have very good possibilities to decide the game in our favour.”
Baumgart demonstrated Cologne’s new self-confidence once again before giving his Gladbach colleague Adi Hütter a very “hot” hint. The coach was asked whether FC could play with a three-man backline this season after trying it out in the test against Paderborn (4:0). Baumgart’s unequivocal answer: “That can definitely happen, but I promise: Not against Gladbach!”
