1. FC Köln II will have to do without increased professional support at Rot-Weiss Essen on Friday (7:30 p.m.).
The U21 of 1. FC Cologne plays a strong season in the Regional League West. Also thanks to the professional support that has been there regularly this season. Before the game on Essen’s Hafenstrasse, however, this support will be manageable.
Benno Schmitz, Kingsley Schindler, Timo Horn and Ondrej Duda are out with the pros, who also play on Friday (at Union Berlin). In the short term, FC coach Steffen Baumgart also has to look for a top scorer Anthony Modeste give up, who stayed ill in Cologne.
How Cologne played in the first leg:
Roloff – Castrop, Laux, Cestic, Katterbach – Petermann, Olesen, Nottbeck, Obuz – Lemperle, Dietz
The result: Marvin Obuz, who was probably scheduled for the U21s, also traveled to Berlin-Köpenick and is missing Red and white food. In addition to Obuz, Mathias Olesen and Tim Lemperle are also in Berlin – the trio were still on the pitch in the first leg in the 1-1 draw against RWE.
This means that nine players who played against Essen in the first half of the season are no longer there. A clear weakening for the Domstädter. In addition to Olesen, Lemperle and Obuz, there are Noah Katterbach (was loaned to Basel), Sava-Arangel Čestić (was sold to HNK Rijeka), Julian Roloff (moved to Cavalry FC), Jens Castrop (on loan to 1. FC Nürnberg in the winter). ), Marius Laux (ended his career) and top scorer Florian Dietz, who has been out since January with a shoulder injury.
FC coach Mark Zimmermann will probably “only” rely on central defender Bright Arrey-Mbi (borrowed from FC Bayern last winter) and Niklas Hauptmann in Essen, who should slowly be able to regain match practice after a month-long break.
In addition to the pros who are in Berlin, the FC U21s are also missing central defender David Winke (suspended) and veteran Thomas Kraus.
