Baum has the problem every coach wants

FCA travel to Frankfurt on Saturday to play what will be their first of three games in the space of a week. For FCA’s Marcel Heller, that means a return to an old stomping ground. “I began my career in Frankfurt, and I learned a lot. I was treated really well there, so I look forward to going back again.” But the sentimentalities end there - Heller wants to come back to Augsburg with all three points in tow. Playing with confidence This will be no easy task. Manuel Baum is well aware that Frankfurt are “a very compact, athletic team who are also composed on the ball. They’re a team that are hard to play against.” Marcel Heller agreed with his coach, and said that “Frankfurt have strengthened extremely well over the summer, and their quality is undeniable.” Despite Frankfurt’s qualities though, Baum and Heller don’t want to talk themselves down. “We played extremely well against Cologne, so we’ll be going to Frankfurt full of confidence,” said Heller. Baum was also clear that his team wants “to come back with something tangible from Frankfurt.” Eintracht are not the only team who want to build off a win last week, as FCA’s own victory confirmed this campaign as their best start to a Bundesliga season in their history. Selection dilemma After training on Thursday, in which all players apart from Tim Rieder took part, Manuel Baum is faced with a selection headache. There’s one exception though, as “Raphael Framberger hasn’t been able to train fully for almost three weeks. It’s likely that he won’t see the pitch for a little while longer. However, Daniel Opare has proven to us that he is a reliable option.” Manuel Baum also has praise for Marcel Heller: “Marcel has performed just how we wanted him to, and expected him to in all honesty.” Alongside Marcel Heller will be the Bundesliga’s top goalscorer, Alfred Finnbogason, who will also make the trip to Frankfurt. Heller knows very well how crucial it is to have a poacher like the Icelandic striker in the team: “In Darmstadt we had Sandro Wagner, who had a keen eye for goal. It’s so important for any team to have a player like that. Alfred is just that player for FCA.”