Thorup: “We need to play well”

A home clash against Leipzig

FC Augsburg will host yet another top-six team at the WWK ARENA when they face off against RB Leipzig on Saturday (15:30 CET). For the 14th time in 17 matches, the home end is sold out.

.In their last three home matches, FCA have played against three of the Bundesliga’s best sides. Despite putting in three good performances, Augsburg drew 1-1 against Borussia Dortmund and fell to defeats against Leverkusen (1-0) and Bayern (3-2), which is why head coach Jess Thorup wants to see his side pick up some points in their next match. “We’ve got to up our game again and need to play well for the full 90,” said the 53-year-old. The Dane went on to state that FCA’s fans “help us out every game” and called for their support once again this weekend.

Last weekend, FCA were rewarded with a late equaliser after a much-improved second-half performance in their clash against VfL Bochum. In light of that match, Thorup expressed his desire to see Augsburg shut the opposition attack down: “We want to show that we can keep a clean sheet,” explained Thorup, who noted that Leipzig have “a lot of quality up front.” RBL got back to winning ways against Union Berlin last week after falling to three successive defeats to start off the year.

3-3 thriller in last home game

FCA sit 12th in the Bundesliga table heading into matchday 21, seven points clear of sixteenth place and ten points clear of the automatic relegation spots. “Our main goal has always been staying up, but I don’t look at the table. I’m focusing on the team,” emphasised Thorup. Augsburg lost 3-0 in Leipzig earlier in the season, but their last home clash with the side from Saxony ended 3-3.

There was good news about Niklas Dorsch, who was back in full training this week and is in contention for a return to the squad. Kristijan Jakic (Achilles) is also expected to be fit for the game on Saturday. It remains to be seen whether the same can be said for Pep Biel, as the Spaniard, who made his FCA debut against Bochum, has been struggling with calf issues this week and has trained less as a result.