Maaßen: “three very important points on offer”
A sold-out home game against Schalke coming up
First Team
16.03.2023, 14:32
On Saturday 18th March (15:30 CET), FC Augsburg will host FC Schalke 04, who are second from bottom, in the once again sold-out WWK ARENA. Both teams want to continue their runs and take an important step forward in the tightly-packed table.
“We want to show early on who is playing at home – there are three very important points on offer,” said FCA head coach Enrico Maaßen, who reported a “very good and intense week of training”. Last week, Augsburg were defeated 5-3 by the Bundesliga leaders FC Bayern Munich, but Maaßen expects a “completely different game” against the Schalke side, who have been undefeated since the winter break (17th place, 20 points).
Recently, S04 were able to equalise twice in the Revierderby against Borussia Dortmund (2-2), and Thomas Reis’s team haven’t conceded a single goal in the last three games away from home. “He has been able to instil a good team spirit; they are very solid and defend well,” said Maaßen in praise of his fellow coach, who was not in charge of Schalke in the reverse fixture earlier in the season that FCA won 3-2.
A fifth home win in a row?
FCA can also continue a strong run, having been victorious in all of the last four games, and the Augsburg head coach was therefore confident. “We want to win the game on Saturday and that’s how we’ll approach it,” said Maaßen, who would like to focus on his own team’s game. The last and only time that FCA managed five home wins in a row was in the 2014/15 season.
Maaßen has a large squad at his disposal for FC Augsburg’s 200th Bundesliga home game, and except for Tobias Strobl, André Hahn, Felix Uduokhai and Niklas Dorsch, who is out ill, everyone is available. New-signing Irvin Cardona is also an option for the starting eleven, who recently scored in Munich to make it 5-3 in injury time.
