Maaßen: “We are excited for the first game”
Augsburg begin their Bundesliga campaign at home on this Saturday, 6th August (15:30 CEST) against SC Freiburg. Head coach Enrico Maaßen and captain Jeffrey Gouweleeuw are both highly anticipating the fixture.
First Team
04.08.2022, 15:53
“A healthy tension is there, and we’re excited for the first game and hope for a full stadium,” said Maaßen. The Augsburg coach has no new injury concerns from the squad that defeated Blau-Weiß Lohne 4-0 last week, while Mads Petersen trained individually on Thursday, boosting his options.
Freiburg, who indeed qualified to the Europa League, are the first visitors to the WWK ARENA this season. “Freiburg have been playing together for a long time and they’ve got a lot of quality,” Maaßen explained. The 38-year-old added: “It’s only one game and you have to come up with a good plan. If we are on our game, then we can make it difficult for Freiburg.”
Gouweleeuw: “The mood is very positive”
“We’ve been developing well, and the mood is very positive,” reported Gouweleeuw, who has once again taken up the role of FCA captain this season. The centre-back is looking forward to playing against his former teammate Michael Gregoritsch, who will be officially bid farewell to before the game on Saturday. “We know each other very well and have no secrets from one another,” he added.
Neither Maaßen nor Gouweleeuw want to establish a tangible ‘goal’ for the season. “We are just concentrating on ourselves and ensuring that we are ready for each individual game,” Augsburg’s coach told the media. On his Bundesliga debut, Maaßen will meet Christian Streich, the Bundesliga’s longest serving active manager, on the sideline for the first time. “I look forward to meeting him,” he commented. “He is one of the faces of the Bundesliga.”
