Thorup: “Need to see a reaction”

Home game against St. Pauli

FC Augsburg are set to host FC St. Pauli at the WWK ARENA on matchday 3. With the international break behind them, the focus is now on picking up their first win of the season in front of a sold-out crowd.

Head coach Jess Thorup is hoping for an improved performance from his side, after their 4-0 defeat against Heidenheim prior to the international break. “We need to see a reaction from the team,” he said. This weekend will mark the first time that FCA are facing off with St. Pauli in the Bundesliga, with last season’s second-division champions still without a point in 2024/25. “With the support of our fans behind us, we want to take all three points and deliver our best-possible performance,” Thorup said.

At the pre-match press conference on Friday, the Dane reiterated the importance of the team continuing to grow close, adding “We wanted to have more points by this stage, but we can now play catch up.” He had previously extended his contract at the club until 30th June 2026, saying “I feel very at home in Augsburg. The club and I are both very ambitious and we still have plenty of goals that we want to achieve together.”

Onyeka and Matsima both options

The head coach will be pleased to have several players nearing a return to full fitness. Goalkeeper Finn Dahmen is back in training and will be in goal for the FCA U23s against Aschaffenburg on Friday night. Robert Gumny is also back working with the ball, while new signings Frank Onyeka and Chrislain Matsima have also joined in on training after having been away with their national teams.

The WWK ARENA will be busy on matchday as part of the FCA members’ day, during which fans can look forward to several events on the stadium grounds. Ahead of the match, former players Ermedin Demirović and Niklas Dorsch will be given an official send-off after having left the club during the summer transfer window.

Members’ questions for the head coach

Following today’s pre-match press conference, several FCA members had the opportunity to ask Thorup questions of their own. They were able to gain a varied insight into the head coach’s way of thinking, from what motivates him as a coach (“Football is my passion”), his life motto (“Be positive and honest”) and his favourite drink (“Mostly water and the occasional glass of wine with my wife”). The members were then invited to take part in an arena tour.