1. FC Köln: Steffen Baumgart rules out Skhiri changes in winter

Coach Steffen Baumgart from 1. FC Köln has ruled out a change from Ellyes Skhiri this winter. “There are no requests, there are no talks, at least not for the winter. We will definitely see a decision in the summer,” he said on Friday.

Recently there had been speculation that Olympique Lyon was interested in Skhiri. “I would like to keep him here. I will do everything for that, even if our chances are slim,” said Baumgart. The 27-year-old midfielder recently caused a stir with his goal against Bayern Munich.

Baumgart made it clear: “Meanwhile I find it sad, for the boy. When you see him working, you know that he is completely focused on the job. That means 1. FC Köln. It’s all nonsense. People like to write and circulate something that only harms the boy and then annoys me.” This could be different in the summer, “but talking about it now is stupid chatter for me and it gets on my balls too”.

For the away game on Sunday (3.30 p.m./DAZN) at Schalke 04 Baumgart meanwhile warned his team about the tail light. “With nine points in 17 games, every game is a final. And we’ll experience that at Schalke. They will be aggressive and full of power. It will have the character of a final,” said the coach.

Baumgart also announced “one or the other change” in the starting eleven. Unlike last time, however, he did not want to announce the complete line-up.