Frankfurt/Main (dpa/lhe) – After returning to team training, Makoto Hasebe is in a race against time. Will Eintracht Frankfurt’s defense chief return to the starting XI of the Hessians after his chest injury in the Bundesliga guest match at 1. FC Köln this Saturday (6:30 p.m. / Sky) or is the 38-year-old still too early? Coach Oliver Glasner did not have an answer to this question on Thursday. “Makoto has trained twice and feels good so far. But he still has pain with certain movements. That’s why no final decision has been made as to whether he can be there,” said Glasner.
Almost two weeks ago, Hasebe suffered a painful chest injury in a game at VfB Stuttgart and was recently absent against VfL Wolfsburg. Surprisingly, last Tuesday he was back on the training ground, where he completed the full workload on Wednesday and Thursday.
But Glasner is skeptical. “I still have to make up my mind as to whether his performance against Cologne would make sense at all,” said the 47-year-old Austrian. “It will be a very intense game with a lot of duels in the air. It’s important that you don’t feel pain with every jump or bump,” he said. Glasner ruled out a breastplate as protection for the Japanese: “He will certainly not play with armor.”
Should Hasebe not play, Martin Hinteregger would again take over his part in the Eintracht defense. However, the Austrian acted unluckily and incorrectly in the recent 0-2 draw against VfL Wolfsburg. “I spoke to Martin for a long time. He’s a player who thinks a lot and is sometimes dissatisfied with himself and his performance. He’s very sensitive, it doesn’t leave him without a trace,” reported Glasner.
Nevertheless, he has full confidence in his compatriot, who had always been one of the top performers in previous seasons. “I see him with a lot more commitment. He’s struggling to find his old form. I like that,” praised Glasner.
Eintracht will definitely be without injured strikers Gonçalo Paciência and Ragnar Ache. On the other hand, winger Filip Kostic, who made a half-hour comeback against Wolfsburg last week after recovering from illness, will return to the starting XI. As a result, Glasner hopes to be more efficient on the offensive again. “We have to work that punch back in the opponent’s penalty area,” demanded the Eintracht coach. “It’s up to the boys to shift up a gear.”
That will also be necessary, because Cologne is playing a good season under coach Steffen Baumgart and has so far collected one point more than Frankfurt. “I’m expecting full-throttle football from Cologne on Saturday. They play boldly and quickly forward, from the first to the last second,” said Glasner. But he’s not afraid: “We’ve already proven that we can stand up to them. We can and will do that.”
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220217-99-175362/4
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