FC Augsburg

Maximilian Bauer: “We were more or less absent in the first half. Leipzig scored three goals from three chances that we defended poorly. We can’t come out and perform like that. We were more solid in the second half, but the performance was nowhere near good enough on the whole.”

“We want to show from the outset that we want to win the game and get the crowd on our side,” said Maaßen. FCA were put to the sword by RB Leipzig in their last game (3-0), with all three of RBL’s goals coming in the first half. Mainz are also winless this season and fell to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of VfB Stuttgart last weekend. Bo Svensson’s side find themselves bottom of the table with one point from four games.

The head coach made four changes to the side that started last weekend’s 3-0 defeat in Leipzig. Arne Engels, Philipp Tietz, Jeffrey Gouweleeuw and Iago all came into the line-up, while there was also returns to the matchday squad for Sven Michael, Tim Breithaupt and Nathanaël Mbuku.

Ermedin Demirović: “We have suffered a lot in the last few weeks, but have continued to work hard on ourselves and always kept going. Now, we are unbelievably happy with the three points and really they are three well-earned points. It was a win built on hard work and the fact that we also managed to hold on with ten men gives us an additional boost. Mainz played well at the start of the game; we still hadn’t really got into the game. The second goal being disallowed was then a wake-up call for us. Personally, I am obviously very pleased about the two goals, last week I missed a big chance at the end of the game. It’s a step in the right direction that can spur us in the coming weeks.”

Engels was sent off in the 62nd minute of the 2-1 win over 1. FSV Mainz 05. The 20-year-old was initially booked after his challenge on Aymen Barkok, before referee Marc Fritz overturned his initial decision after consultation with the video assistant and awarded a red card.

The ban stands, as FCA decided not to appeal the verdict. This means that Engels will miss the two upcoming Bundesliga games against Freiburg (Sunday, 1st October, 17:30 CEST) and SV Darmstadt 98 (Saturday, 7th October, 15:30 CEST).

“We want to and we have to kick on in Freiburg, and we have prepared well,” said FCA head coach Enrico Maaßen ahead of the clash against SCF, who are currently ninth in the standings. Maaßen knows that his side will have to defend well if they want to take all three points in Freiburg. “Apart from the start of the game against Mainz, we’ve significantly limited our opponents’ shots at our goal in the last two games and that’s fundamental if we want to be successful,” stated Maaßen. 

FCA head coach Enrico Maaßen made one change to the side that began the 2-1 victory against Mainz 05. Arne Engels, who missed out through suspension, was replaced by Tim Breithaupt, as the 21-year-old midfielder made his first Bundesliga start. 

Ermedin Demirović: “The defeat hurts, especially just after the game. To have given away a penalty so early on is really annoying, and once again we had to chase the game from behind. Overall, both were poor goals to concede, in ways that we have spoken about before. Nevertheless, we had the chances to get back in the game. I personally also had to score. We have to now look at the game, get cleverer and then reward ourselves with points once again.”

The home fixtures against VfL Wolfsburg (28th October, 15:30 CEST) and TSG Hoffenheim (11th November, 15:30 CET), as well as the away clashes against 1. FC Köln (4th November, 15:30 CET) and 1. FC Union Berlin (25th November, 15:30 CET) will all take place on a Saturday. FCA will then welcome Eintracht Frankfurt to the WWK Arena on Sunday, 3rd December (19:30 CET).

The home end is completely sold out ahead of clash between the 14th and 15th placed sides, with around 1,500 fans expected to travel from Darmstadt. Enrico Maaßen was looking forward to playing in front of a full house (“It’ll give us a boost”) and said, “We want to get three points at home. We’ll give it everything we’ve got and bring the passion from the stands onto the pitch.” The 39-year-old is also backing FCA to “finally” keep a clean sheet this season and be defensively stable.

Although FCA are unbeaten at home, they are still having trouble on the road. They fell to a 2-0 defeat away to Freiburg last week. “We talked about the game, we definitely could’ve gotten something from it,” explained Maaßen, who stressed the importance of keeping the ball in training this week. Augsburg should get their second home win in a row if they play with the necessary grit and determination against the newly-promoted side. “We want to show from the very beginning that we want to win,” said FCA’s head coach.