After three tough games against Bayern, Wolfsburg and Schalke, FC Augsburg will travel to SC Paderborn on Saturday, 9th November (15:30 CET). Against Paderborn, Martin Schmidt wants to reward the team for their hard work with three points. It would be the first away win of the season for FCA.

There was great disappointment in Augsburg after losing 3-2 to Schalke last Sunday. Nevertheless, the team have “analyzed this game and drawn conclusions. We know that we have given some points away,” says Martin Schmidt. In addition to this, he says it is now important to “look ahead”. After facing many high-performing teams, FCA will now play a “team at eye-level”. It starts in Paderborn. He expects a “typically challenging game” against an opponent who also relies on a quick counter-attacking game. Despite the fact that Paderborn are bottom of the table, it is no smaller challenge to face them, according to Schmidt. “It’s a lot about the mental approach. One should not be afraid of losing, but enjoy winning”.

In the meantime, there is some excitement in the training camp. “The training was light, but there was some fire there. We continued to work on our compactness, aggression and on the efforts in the final third.”  The squad is almost completely fit this week. Only Carlos Gruezo and Felix Götze continue their rehabilitation program. For the latter however, there was reason to celebrate, as for the first time since March he was able to be back on the training field with the rest of the team.

The mental strength is a decisive factor.

For everything to work on Saturday, along with daily training work and the style of play, the “mental strength” of the team is crucial. “The team also deals with the game itself. In the end, the only decisive factor is what we do on the pitch,” as Schmidt described the approach to the game. If FCA approach the game like they did last week, there is a good chance that Martin Schmidt will bring three points back to the WWK ARENA.

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