FC Augsburg

Ermedin Demirović: “Not getting anything from today’s game is really disappointing, but I still want to praise the whole team for this performance. Playing like that and scoring two goals against Bayern certainly isn’t a given. We fought for every ball, something that our team always does and something we need to continue doing. Scoring two goals today, including my first ever against Bayern, obviously gives me some confidence – but I’d rather have taken a point.”

“I feel like we’re on a really good trajectory,” said FCA head coach Jess Thorup, referring to the progress the team have made with the ball at their feet, amongst other things. Before last weekend’s 2-1 away victory over Gladbach, Thorup had called for improvements in that regard – this game plan will have to be continued against a team as dominant on the ball as Bayern München. “We will try to keep in control of the game not just when we’re out of possession, but when we have the ball as well. We don’t just want to defend.”

The details of the loan will remain undisclosed. Čolina is still under contract at FCA until 30th June 2027. After making seven appearances in the Bundesliga in the second half of last season, during which he scored his debut goal in a 4-3 defeat in Dortmund, Čolina has featured just once in 2023/24 (DFB-Pokal defeat vs. Unterhaching). The former Croatia U21 international has been included in three matchday squads this term. 

“David has struggled to earn playing time at his position as a left-back over the last months, as we  have plenty of cover in this position,” explained FCA sporting director Marinko Jurendic. “During his time at Vejle, David will be able to work with one of his former academy coaches who knows him well and will hopefully help him earn plenty of playing time. We wish David all the best at his new club.”  

Phillip Tietz: We’re very happy with how we played today. We started well, but didn’t really pick up where we left off after the interruption, which meant that we were behind at half time. The coach made his complaints heard during the break and we reacted well. We showed character and proved once again that you can never write us off. A team that shows that much heart deserved to win. We’ve got to take that with us into the next few weeks. We want to repay our fans.         

FCA head coach Jess Thorup opted to keep the exact starting XI for the clash against Gladbach from last weekend’s narrow 1-0 home defeat to league frontrunners Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Arne Engels took the place of Niklas Dorsch on the left, who was suspended after receiving five yellow cards this season. Kristijan Jakić started the match on the bench, after having only signed for FCA earlier this week. 

Only two points separated the sides prior to Sunday evening’s clash, so it was a great opportunity for the Függerstädter to climb ahead of Borussia. The visitors delivered a promising first-half performance, with three clear-cut chances in the first 15 minutes through Ermedin Demirović (10’), Fredrik Jensen (11’) and Ruben Vargas (12’), whose header effort was denied by Gladbach keeper Moritz Nicolas.

The match was interrupted for several minutes due to a protest from the Gladbach fans, which was vital in helping the home side in particular to get settled into the game. Borussia opened the scoring in the 26th minute: Straight after a corner, Alassane Pléa delivered a cross from the right, which Jordan Siebatcheu was able to scramble in from close range. Thorup’s side had 59 percent possession and recorded a pass completion rate of 85 percent over the first 45 minutes, but were unable to hit home a much-needed equaliser before the break.

Mbuku moved to the Fuggerstädter from Stade Reims at the end of January 2023 and has made three Bundesliga appearances so far, including one this season. The 21-year-old has also played three games in the Regionalliga Bayern for FCA’s U23s during the current campaign, chipping in with two goals and an assist.

“We’ve been impressed by Nathanaël’s ability and potential. Because of competition in the squad though, we think that a loan makes sense at this point in time. We hope that Nathanaël will get as many minutes as possible at Saint-Étienne and develop further in order to come back to Augsburg stronger in the summer,” said FCA sporting director Marinko Jurendic.

Knudsen most recently worked with English Championship side Leicester City and also had a spell with the US national team as their set-piece coach between July 2022 and March 2023. Knudsen, who holds a UEFA Pro Licence, previously worked together with Thorup as his assistant coach for two and a half years at FC Midtjylland. 

FCA sporting director Marinko Jurendic commented: “Lars impressed us during conversations with his expertise on set pieces and we believe that we can improve this important side of our game. His experience will make him an excellent addition to the coaching team. We’re looking forward to working together and wish Lars a successful start to life at FCA.”

Gouweleeuw is the player with the second-most top-tier games for FCA with 209 (five goals and seven assists), behind only Daniel Baier (274). The Dutchman has featured 14 times this season, 13 of which were in the starting eleven. The 1.88-metre-tall defender has become a regular presence in the back four under head coach Jess Thorup.

“We have to show that we’re also capable of picking up points away from home against a strong opponent,” Thorup explained, hoping to improve on FCA’s current record away from the WWK ARENA. His mantra is to “perform on the road the way we do at home!” While Gladbach’s most recent fixture saw them come out on top in a 3-1 win over VfB Stuttgart and increase their unbeaten streak at BORUSSIA-PARK to eight, FCA fell to defeat against top-of-the-table Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

With the first half of the season complete, there are currently two points and two spots between the sides in the Bundesliga table, with FC Augsburg occupying twelfth position with 18 points on the board. On the back of a strong defensive performance against Leverkusen, Thorup is now looking for his team to make the most of their chances on the ball: “We can’t just sit back for 90 minutes and look to play on the break, we have to work on our own performance in possession.”

The defender said his goodbyes to the team on Wednesday. Tanganga was forced to sit out due to knee problems at the start of the season, and missed a large proportion of the opening matches as a result. Japhet made a matchday squad for the only time in the away game against Köln at the start of November, but he was not brought onto the pitch at any point.