Köln face Said El Mala and Thijs Dallinga fitness doubts ahead of Stuttgart clash

1. FC Köln are facing fresh concerns over Said El Mala and Thijs Dallinga ahead of Friday’s Bundesliga trip to VfB Stuttgart after both attackers missed the club’s final training session on Thursday.

El Mala and Dallinga had already been absent from training on Wednesday because of illness, with head coach René Wagner saying at his pre-match press conference that their availability would need to be assessed on a day-to-day basis.

Neither player was able to return for Thursday’s final session before the squad’s departure for Stuttgart, increasing the possibility that Köln could be without both of their goalscorers from the opening weekend.

Local reports from the session indicate that the pair did not take part as the rest of the squad completed preparations for Friday night’s match. Köln have not officially ruled either player out, meaning their status remains uncertain rather than confirmed absent.

Their potential absence would be significant after the impact both made in Köln’s 3-2 Bundesliga victory over Hoffenheim. El Mala scored one of the goals in the comeback, while summer signing Dallinga came off the bench to score twice on his league debut for the club.

Wagner had said on Wednesday that El Mala appeared to have a slightly better chance of recovering in time than Dallinga, but the fact that neither was able to train on Thursday leaves the coach with a late decision to make.

Köln do have additional attacking options available. New arrivals Mikey Moore and Borna Sosa trained with the squad this week and Wagner confirmed both are fit enough to be considered for selection.

The immediate focus, however, will remain on El Mala and Dallinga as Köln assess whether either player can recover sufficiently to be included in the squad at Stuttgart.