Club Haberleri

Statistically, the Augsburg team have the worst passing rate in the entire league, with only 69.1% of passes finding their target. Maaßen’s team are also rather profligate in front of goal, with only 133 shots all season, the worst in the Bundesliga. The Bavarian club are however top in cards recieved, with 39 cautions, two of which lead to reds, which testifies to a certain robustness on the pitch. With 184 fouls, they are also leading the league.

The head to head

Emre Can on the friendly in Erfurt:
“We tried out several things, and it can only get better. We have heavy legs, we’re at the beginning of pre-season and had two tough sessions yesterday. That’s normal, we’re at the beginning of pre-season and want to get fit for a long season. It should be fine by the time it starts.”

Alonso’s Werkself side dispatched Bayern Munich 2-1 in the last Bundesliga match before the break and the team’s performance using a 3-4-3 has allegedly lit a flame of inspiration for Tuchel:

FC Augsburg: Rafal Gikiewicz – Amaral Iago, Jeffrey Gouweleeuw, Maximilian Bauer (Ohis Felix Uduokhai), Robert Krzysztof Gumny (Reece Oxford) – Ermedin Demirovic (Arne Maier), Elvis Rexhbecaj, Julian Baumgartlinger, Ruben Vargas – Mergim Berisha (Hans Fredrik Jensen), Florian Niederlechner

Edin Terzic on the balance of play:
“It was an important test, because this category of opposition also awaits us in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. It was the first match for many of us. You could see they were lacking rhythm. We had a few really good moves in the opening phase but then we became too passive. If you easily give away 15 to 20 balls each half, you shouldn’t be surprised if you have to defend counter-attacks – two of them after set-pieces of our own. The first one led to the goal we conceded. Those are the issues we need to stop. We would’ve liked to perform more confidently.”

2023 has certainly not been as spectacular for SV Werder Bremen as 2022, which was the year of their promotion back to the Bundesliga. Ole Werner’s team sat in 13th place at the end of May 2022 after having returned to top-flight football the previous season, and managed to avoid the relegation zone for the entire campaign. In 2023/24, the Green-Whites are currently 13th in the table once again, which is respectable, but nothing to be overly enthusiastic about. We’ll be taking a look back on a 2023 full of ups and downs, with memorable moments such as the vital 4-2 win in the capital to avoid relegation in April, the crowning of a Green-White top goalscorer, and the reunion of a prolific strike partnership on the international stage. 

FCA were once again busy shortly before the end of the transfer window, strengthening their squad with the signings of Kevin Mbabu (on loan from Fulham FC) and Japhet Tanganga (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur). 

Tuchel will lead the Bavarians against his old club — Borussia Dortmund — in a match that will have massive implications in the Bundesliga title race. Yes, this edition of Der Klassiker will have a championship look and feel, plus a lot of uncertainty from a Bayern Munich standpoint.

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