Routine job? Kompany warns of "incredibly dangerous" Köln | OneFootball

The anticipation for the cup duel between FC Bayern and 1. FC Köln is high. For Munich's coach Vincent Kompany, the match in Müngersdorf is anything but a routine task – he expects a challenging opponent.

Before the second round of the DFB-Pokal, Kompany expressed his respect for the Rhinelanders. At the pre-match press conference, the 39-year-old particularly highlighted the defensive work of Köln: "Köln has done very well so far. Especially what they do in defense – with great alertness, how quickly they close down spaces to prevent shots and crosses."

Kompany also sees great quality in their transition play: "They are incredibly dangerous on the counterattack – that has hurt many teams so far. It's not just box defense, but also a good, solid midfield block from which they repeatedly develop dangerous counters."

The clear underdog role of FC does not deter Kompany from demanding full concentration: "They are playing at home, believe in their chance – but we bring a lot of hunger with us! We are doing a lot right at the moment and we want to take that to Cologne."

Köln's coach searched in vain for Bayern's weaknesses

Photo: IMAGO

Köln's head coach Lukas Kwasniok also commented on the task against the record cup winners – albeit with different implications. In a conversation with the DFB, the 44-year-old emphasized: "I searched for weaknesses but found none." His assessment of Bayern: "They can run a lot, run intensively, they are extremely fast in both directions, they can press high, but also defend the goal passionately when necessary."

The statistics clearly speak against the hosts: Since 2011, Bayern has won all ten competitive matches in Cologne. Additionally, there is an impressive series of 20 unbeaten matches against FC.

Despite the seemingly clear starting position, Kwasniok makes it clear: Giving up is not an option. "We have a home game, our task is to give the 50,000 people in the stadium a celebration." And it would indeed be a celebration if Köln were to achieve a cup miracle.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.