Said El Mala has returned to full fitness for 1. FC Köln and is back in contention to start Saturday’s trip to Hamburg after recovering from illness.
Key takeaways
- The 20-year-old completed full training this week without restrictions.
- El Mala missed the 4-1 defeat to Stuttgart and appeared only as a substitute in the 1-1 draw with Bremen.
- René Wagner has identified the winger as a possible starter against HSV.
- Germany coach Jürgen Klopp has called El Mala into the national squad for a second time.
- He will join the DFB camp from 27 September ahead of matches against Serbia and Greece.
Said El Mala ready for Hamburg after illness
El Mala looked sharp in Thursday’s public session at the Geißbockheim. After training, he stayed to meet supporters and worked through a long line of autograph and selfie requests.
His recovery is a timely boost for Köln. Wagner confirmed that the player is fully fit after a flu-like infection and has trained normally throughout the week. The previous week had required careful workload management.
El Mala did not feature against Stuttgart, then came off the bench against Bremen last weekend. Köln face HSV on Saturday at 15:30, with Wagner now able to consider him from the start.
Second Germany call-up
The Hamburg match comes before El Mala reports for international duty on 27 September. He has been selected again by Klopp and could make his Germany debut against Serbia or Greece.
El Mala was first called up in September under former Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann, but did not play. Nagelsmann later pointed to work required in the youngster’s defensive game.
Wagner said Köln are pleased with the new call-up and hope this camp brings El Mala’s first appearance in the Germany shirt. The Köln coach has not spoken directly with Klopp, but sees the selection as a positive step for the player and the club.
SEO Title: Said El Mala fit again for Köln’s Hamburg trip and Germany call-up
SEO Description: 1. FC Köln winger Said El Mala has recovered from illness, is in line to start against HSV and will join Germany’s squad for fixtures against Serbia and Greece.
