“That’ll give us an advantage”
Günther tests positive ahead of the Stuttgart game
First Team
17.03.2022, 14:08
After FCA were forced to sit out last weekend due to Mainz’s Coronavirus outbreak, they’re back in action this Saturday away to VfB Stuttgart (15:30 CET). Head coach Markus Weinzierl wants his side to build on the victory they secured over Arminia Bielefeld last time out and win a second consecutive league game for the first time this season.
Markus Weinzierl would have preferred not to have missed their game last weekend. “It was frustrating that the game was called off, because it killed our rhythm,” commented the FCA head coach when asked about the postponement of last week’s fixture vs. 1. FSV Mainz 05. “However, we were on good form two weeks ago and we want to build on that.”
Weinzierl will be forced into making at least one change to the team that won 1-0 at Arminia Bielefeld, as Noah Sareren Bazee suffered an ACL tear which will sideline him for several weeks. “Noah’s injury is certainly a tough one to take, because he was doing really well,” bemoaned Weinzierl. “An ACL injury is the worst thing that can happen to a sportsperson.”
Weinzierl will also be without Lasse Günther for the trip to Stuttgart, who tested positive for Coronavirus earlier this week. However, Robert Gumny is available for selection again after recovering from his ankle injury.
It’s Augsburg’s second consecutive match against a side also fighting for survival, with FCA (26) sitting just three points above their upcoming opponents VfB. “There’s a lot at stake in this one because of the way in which the table has shaped up,” added Weinzierl. “We showed in Bielefeld that we’re more than capable of getting results in these sorts of games.”
Weinzierl: “We finally want to win two matches in a row”
Just like FCA, VfB have picked up four points from their previous two matches. “They’ve got a lot of good individual players and have done well in the last few matches,” analysed Weinzierl. “They have a top striker in Sasa Kalajdzic, and Borna Sosa crosses the ball brilliantly. They haven’t picked up that many points over the course of the season, but they’ve also had lots of injury problems, too.”
Weinzierl wants his side’s intensity to counteract the individual quality of their opposition. “If we cover lots of ground on Saturday, that’ll give us an advantage,” commented the 46-year-old. “We want to finally win two games on the spin.” FCA are yet to achieve this in 2021/22.
