The FC players trained twice on Wednesday as the preparations for the Mainz match enter the final stages. For Christian Clemens the match on Sunday will be a return to his former employer.

Two training sessions were on the agenda on Wednesday, with training in the indoor hall kicking things off. In the afternoon the players went out onto the pitch to make use of the last hours of sunshine.

The winter break is finally coming to an end with the match against 1. FSV Mainz 05 on Sunday. Last season 1. FC Köln found themselves in a 0-2 hole in enemy territory before coming back to win 3-2. “For about an hour we were really bad and then everything started to click. With a couple of good sequences and a goal, we were able to turn the match in our favor,” said Peter Stöger. However, last season’s match will be irrelevant for Sunday’s encounter according to the FC Head Coach. “You cannot draw anything from that match. On Sunday we need to focus on putting on our best display when we step out on that pitch.”

Serenading the colleagues

Christian Clemens will be seeing some familiar faces when FC make the trip to Mainz on Sunday. The 25-year-old transferred to 1. FC Köln by way of 1. FSV Mainz 05 during the winter break. “It is nice to go back to Mainz because I spent two great years there, but it is also a bit strange that it is happening so quickly,” said Clemens. Having come through the ranks of the Cologne youth academy, Clemens needed little time to get acclimated to the city of his birth. It did not take much time for him to get comfortable with his teammates either, as proven on the team dinner just days ago. “I think everyone enjoyed that I got up on a chair and sand Atemlos,” said Clemens. “Don’t expect me to become a singer anytime soon though.”