Herrlich: “Want to win, build on the results and improve on our position in the table”
FCA looking to continue picking up points
First Team
09.04.2021, 14:59
On Sunday (11th April, 15:30 CEST), FC Augsburg will face FC Schalke 04 away. The team will have to be cautious not to underestimate the Royal Blues, as they look to bring three points home from Gelsenkirchen.
Ruben Vargas, Frederik Jensen and Tim Civeja are all carrying slight knocks. However, FCA head coach Heiko Herrlich is hopeful that Vargas will be able to feature on Sunday. Raphael Framberger was taken off during the game against Hoffenheim (2-1 win) after experiencing dizziness, but has since recovered. “I’m fully fit and ready to play again,” said the 25-year-old.
FCA head to Gelsenkirchen on Sunday having won three of their last five games. Schalke, meanwhile, are currently in the midst of their worst ever Bundesliga campaign in club history. However, Herrlich said that there are several things that head coach Dimitrios Grammozis’ side do well. “Schalke have a lot of good players on paper, and sometimes it’s hard to say why they aren’t able to make things work,” said Herrlich. He added that Sunday’s game will be a very “thankless task,” and that everyone is expecting “an easy win for us. It will be easy to underestimate Schalke,” Herrlich warned.
The Royal Blues will have several players returning from injury, which has taken some of the pressure off the team, said Herrlich. The 49-year-old is aware that “every Schalke player will be looking to prove themselves before the end of the season.” But, he is not letting that affect him, adding “We will need to focus on ourselves, on our own performance and bring our strengths to the table. We are in the midst of a positive run, which we want to keep. We want to win, build on the results and improve on our position in the table.”
Framberger: “We will show what we’re capable of!”
Framberger is also optimistic about Sunday’s game. “Our job is to go to Schalke and bring three points back home to Augsburg. I’m confident that we will be able to do so and that we won’t allow the Royal Blues any chances,” he said. Framberger will face a tough challenge this weekend, having to defend against Amine Harit, one of Schalke’s best players. “We will try to keep him contained as best as we can, in order to not allow him to find his way into the game,” Framberger said.
The defender is also pleased with Augsburg’s season so far. “Our recent wins have given us confidence. We’re well-positioned in 11th place. Of course there’s still room to improve, which is why we will show what we’re capable of in the coming games.” Most important for Framberger is that FCA play as well as they did in the first half against Hoffenheim, but over the full 90 minutes in Gelsenkirchen. After all, “We want to secure safety as soon as possible," he said. "Additionally, our aim is also to finish as high as possible in the table.”
