Maaßen: “We must remain courageous and continue to play positive football”
A sense of optimism despite the injury list
First Team
25.08.2022, 14:47
Next up for Augsburg is a trip to Hoffenheim for their second away game of the season (Saturday 27th August 2022). Head coach Enrico Maaßen spoke to the media ahead of the clash.
Reece Oxford, Niklas Dorsch, Tobias Strobl, Noah Sarenren, Felix Uduokhai, Frederik Winther and André Hahn are all unavailable for selection on Saturday. There are also question marks around Robert Gumny after his illness. Head coach Maaßen commented on Uduokhai’s situation after his syndesmosis ligament injury against Mainz: “Felix was in great form but unfortunately injuries are a part of sport. I hope that he will come back even stronger.”
Due to the injuries, Maaßen may have to make some changes to the backline. The coach, however, remained coy, when asked if he would consider switching from a back-three to a back-four: “We don’t want to show our cards,” said the 38-year-old. Despite the absentees, the gaffer is still in good spirits ahead of the match: “It’s a chance to really pull together as a team when so many players are missing. Every single player must give that extra one percent.”
An opponent with lots of attacking quality
It will be a tough test against a buoyant Hoffenheim side, who romped to an impressive 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen last time out to go sixth in the table. Augsburg are currently three points behind in tenth spot.The head coach is aware of the challenge that lies ahead but he also believes that his side are capable of picking up a positive result. “Hoffenheim are a really good side who have lots of quality up front. We can however exploit the one or two gaps in the backline.”
Augsburg will be looking to bounce back from last week’s unfortunate defeat to Mainz and the coach believes that starting on the front foot will be the order of the day: “We must remain courageous and continue to play positive football. But at the same time we need to look to win games.” Augsburg have the chance to make it two wins from two on the road after the 2-1 win over Leverkusen on Matchday 2.
