Christian Groß is an option for the back three, as is youngster Julian Malatini. The Argentinian came off the bench early on in the Matchday 21 clash against Heidenheim to replace Niklas Stark, who sustained an injury during the first half. “Both of them have earned our trust and have put in good performances,” explained the head coach. Although Werder’s new signing only joined the club in January, Ole Werner considers him worthy of a place in the starting XI against Köln. “We know that he’s a young player with the potential to develop. He has a lot of things to get used to, both on and off the pitch,” said the 35-year-old. “He’s doing well. He was thrown in at the deep end against Heidenheim and rose to the challenge, so he’s an option for Friday’s line-up,” Werner praised.
Werner is well aware that he and his team are in for a totally different game to when they faced off against Köln in the first half of the season. While the Billy Goats were still searching for their first win of the 2023/24 campaign at that point, the appointment of new head coach Timo Schultz has allowed the team to find their feet, and they are now on a three-game unbeaten streak. “Köln’s playing style has stayed the same for the most part, but they’ve made a few changes to their squad after getting a new head coach. That will have given them a new lease of life, which has been clear to see over the past few weeks,” Werner analysed. Head of professional football Clemens Fritz is of the opinion that it’s vital for the boys to showcase their own quality on the pitch and “get back their momentum from before.” He added: “We’ve played some good football over the past few weeks and collected a solid number of points. We want to keep that going in Cologne.”
