Schultz reveals Waldschmidt and Finkgräfe may miss season finale: "A costly victory."

Despite the fact that Germany's cathedral city side were able to pull themselves back from the brink of automatic relegation on Saturday afternoon in spectacular fashion, 1. FC Köln will need a considerable amount to break their way in order to maintain some hope of contesting the promotion-relegation playoffs. FSV Mainz 05's win over Borussia Dortmund on Saturday evening means that Union are the only club left that Köln can hope to catch. 

Köln must win their final league fixture away at 1.FC Heidenheim and hope that Union fail to pick up points at home against Freiburg. Only then can Timo Schultz's Geißböcke draw level on points with die Eisernen. There's also the matter of goal differential. Saturday's result leaves Union at -26 while Köln are at  -29. This too must be made up. 

Köln will have to make do without right fullback Benno Schmitz and midfielder Denis Huseinbasic; both of whom incurred suspension on accumulated yellow cards in Saturday's victory. Schultz also conceded that matters did not look especially good for attacker Luca Waldschmidt and left fullback Max Finkgräfe; both of whom exited proceedings injured on Saturday. 

"Both of them aren't doing particularly well," Schultz told the Sky microphones after the game, "It looks as if it was another costly battle. But we have so many players and everyone is soaring." 

Schultz - commenting on the possibility of Köln still pulling it off - noted that it would be one of the "strangest class preservations ever". That would most certainly be the case, even more so if everything breaks the way of the Domstädter.