FC Augsburg Haberleri

All tickets for the game on matchday 23 are already sold out, which FCA head coach Enrico Maaßen appreciates: “We are very happy to play in front of a sold-out crowd. You could already see in the last few games how this can inspire our team.” Augsburg have won all three home games in 2023, all 1-0, against TSG Hoffenheim, Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Borussia Mönchengladbach, and now the aim is to build on this record.

With 24 points, FCA are still in 13th place, their upcoming opponents from Bremen have six points more and sit in ninth place. The first encounter earlier in the season in September ended in a narrow 1-0 victory to Augsburg, with Rafał Gikiewicz saving a penalty in injury time. To pick up points once again, Maaßen is hoping for concentration and passion in his team’s performance, “we have to play our game and we need a top performance.”

FCA head coach Enrico Maaßen made two changes to the side that beat TSG Hoffenheim 1-0 last time out. Elvis Rexhbecaj and Felix Uduokhai were sidelined with muscle injuries, with Niklas Dorsch and Iago coming into the starting line-up in their place. This was Dorsch’s first start of the season, as the midfielder had been out for a long time through injury himself. 

Jeffrey Gouweleeuw: “I don’t know if everyone was aware of how important this game was. A win could have put us in a situation whereby we no longer would need to keep an eye on the competition. Our performance today was not good enough, and we weren’t able to get back into the game after they took the lead. Now we need to take a look at ourselves and pick up some more vital points.”

“The next game is always the most important. We are in a good place right now and we want to pick up points,” explained Maaßen. The head coach will have to do without Elvis Rexhbecaj and Felix Uduokhai against Hertha, with both on the sidelines due to muscle injuries. “We have the utmost faith in the players that we currently have at our disposal. We’re not having to compromise,” said the gaffer.

The first game in February coincided with the long-awaited return of fans in the stadium, with 7,600 spectators allowed into the WWK ARENA once again to watch the home game against Union Berlin.

Two 90 minute friendlies against Union Berlin will take place on Saturday, 7th January, 13:00 and 15:00 CET. The matches will be played at Union’s training camp in Campoamor. 

After three defeats from three on the road in 2022, it proved to be fourth time lucky for Augsburg as they took on Arminia Bielefeld at the SchücoArena. Daniel Caligiuri’s smart half volley shortly after half time was enough to give FCA all three points in North Rhine-Westphalia.

The month began with a welcome decision from the Bavarian state government, as they announced the lifting of various Covid-19 restrictions, including the mask mandate inside stadiums.

There was already cause for celebration ahead of the final away game of the season in Leipzig, with VfB Stuttgart’s draw in Munich meaning FCA were guaranteed to stay up. As a result, despite a 4-0 defeat against RB Leipzig, FCA would play in the Bundesliga for the 12th season in a row. There was also cause for celebration for Lasse Günther, who celebrated his debut in the FCA starting eleven.

After Markus Weinzierl resigned as coach on the last matchday of last season, FC Augsburg recruited Enrico Maaßen in June as his successor, the absolute ideal candidate for the position. The 38-year-old, who most recently led Borussia Dortmund’s reserves into the third division and established them there, reached an agreement with FCA to take over the first team for several years, with an agreement also reached with Borussia Dortmund on his move.