For the 1. FC Köln team, the first test match of preparation is scheduled for Sunday (July 16, 2023). But it doesn’t stop there: Steffen Baumgart’s team meets two opponents in a mini-tournament.
In the Koasa stadium in St. Johan (Tyrol) it is against second division side Hannover 96 and the Polish club Gornik Zabrze – FC legend Lukas Podolski (38) has been playing for the latter for two years now. FC coach Steffen Baumgart (51) has a clear idea for the games and knows that the game against “Prinz Poldi” will be something special.
1. FC Köln: This is how Steffen Baumgart plans the test against Hannover and Zabrze
The coach has a clear plan for the mini-tournament in the SK Sankt Johann stadium: “There will be two teams. If everything goes normally, Hannover will play back three and Zabrze back four. We will then adapt to that. It will be good tests.”
However, Baumgart sees the opponents at an advantage: in contrast to the billy goats, both Hannover and Zabrze are at the end of their training camp. The coach is therefore certain: “It will be noticeable that both teams are two or three weeks longer than we are.”
FC attacker Mark Uth (31) should be rested in the friendlies. The coaching staff at 1. FC Köln don’t want to take any risks with Porzer, who only recently returned to full team training.
The national players Florian Kainz (30), Dejan Ljubicic (25), Dimitrios Limnios (25) and Leart Paqarada (28) will also not be fully there. The quartet only got in at the start of the training camp and should therefore only play half an hour in St. Johann.
Steffen Baumgart: “I’ve played against Poldi before”
The game against Lukas Podolski will be something special – not just because it’s been almost eleven years since they last met. Back then, on August 12, 2012, Poldi, who had just switched, shot down his FC 4-0 in the dress of his new club FC Arsenal.
Bad memories for many FC fans, but coach Baumgart can still remember his duels against the 2014 world champion: “I’ve played against Poldi before. I remember a game in Cottbus (January 23, 2005). I made it 1-0 and we lost 3-5. He scored four goals. We pretty much got our ass full there.”
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Regardless of his personal trauma on the pitch, the FC coach is of course aware of the importance of this game: “He is an important personality for FC. It’s a special relationship, for that reason alone it’s something special.”
Poldi already played a friendly against FC Schalke 04 on Saturday (July 15th). The Polish first division side lost 5-0 to the team of Baumgart’s friend Thomas Reis (49). It is possible that 1. FC Köln will be in a similar goal mood on Sunday.
2023-07-16 05:32:32
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