Thorup: “The aim is another win”

Home game against Köln on Easter Sunday

After the international break, FC Augsburg host 1. FC Köln on Sunday (15:30 CET). The Fuggerstädter can set a new club record with a victory on Matchday 27.

According to Jess Thorup, FCA “went into the international break with a lot of confidence. We used the break to recover.” The team also played a friendly match against SpVgg Greuther Fürth. “We put in a good performance against Fürth. Certain players got a lot of minutes,” said Thorup. The head coach wants to build on our recent results in the game against Köln. “We want to bring the confidence from the last few games onto the pitch again. The aim is another win.” The players who had been on international duty linked up with the rest of the team again on Thursday. “The players are pleased to be back on the pitch, and the atmosphere in the dressing room is good.”

Only FCA and Leverkusen have won their last four games, and the Fuggerstädter have therefore equalled their club record from the 2014/15 season. Another victory would see this record broken. “We have to try and stay in the flow and not speak too much about records. There are still eight games to go and 24 points to play for – we want to pick up as many points as possible,” continued Thorup.

Timo Schultz’s 1. FC Köln side currently sit in the automatic relegation zone in 17th place. The Billy Goats are winless away from home since they beat Darmstadt at the start of December. “It won’t be an easy game though. They’ve often come close to winning, but we want to focus on our own performance,” said Thorup. “I’m looking forward to us playing in the WWK ARENA again, hopefully in front of lots of fans who’ll support us.”

Captain Ermedin Demirović is suspended for the upcoming home game after picking up a fifth yellow card. “Demi is of course an extremely important player for us. There’s a variety of options to replace him though. It’s also about momentum,” said the Dane. FCA will also be missing Robert Gumny for several months. The full-back tore his ACL in training and has undergone successful surgery.