Overview
- An MRI confirmed a small tear in Said El Mala’s left ankle ligament after a training collision earlier in the week.
- On Thursday he returned to the training ground, passed a pain test, completed the full warm-up, and joined team drills, according to BILD.
- Club staff are considering a special adhesive tape stabilization to make a substitute appearance possible, a measure viewed as risky if he sustains further contact.
- Jan Thielmann remains unlikely to feature due to a muscle issue and center-back Timo Hübers is sidelined for months, tightening selection options.
- El Mala is Köln’s leading attacking contributor with four goals and two assists in nine league games and the derby would pit him against his former youth club.