Overview
- The friendly against third‑tier Viktoria Cologne on Saturday finished 2-2 and saw both Thijs Dallinga and Ragnar Ache go off for hospital scans after separate knocks.
- Club examinations confirmed Dallinga has suffered a cruciate ligament injury and will be sidelined for several months.
- Ragnar Ache was ruled out "for the time being" after grabbing his thigh less than ten minutes after coming on and requires further assessment.
- Head coach Rene Wagner said the club will wait for full scan results and hopes for recovery, with the loss forcing immediate changes ahead of the Rhineland derby on 11 October.
- A cruciate ligament injury commonly needs surgery and lengthy rehab, which removes Dallinga from Cologne's striker plans for a large part of the season and raises short‑term squad and recruitment questions.