FC Augsburg travel to take on VfL Bochum on Saturday afternoon (15:30 CEST). Around 1,600 fans are expected to make the trip to support the team as they seek to get back to winning ways. 

"My focus is on Bochum. It will be a tough match," said head coach Jess Thorup. Although FCA's 11-game unbeaten run came to an end against FC Bayern München last Friday (3-1 loss), the team were still able to create chances and perform well against the current league leaders. For his part, Thorup is focused on the upcoming match and did not want to get drawn into a debate about any potentially controversial refereeing decisions last weekend. "We can't keep talking about the past, but rather have to focus on the game in Bochum," he said.  

"We know what we're up against," said the 55-year-old. He has been preparing his team for what he expects will be a tough match, with plenty of long balls and intense duels. Their opponents, VfL Bochum, are currently battling relegation and are in sore need of three points. The meeting earlier this season ended in a 1-0 win for FCA. 

Schlotterbeck set to start 

Thorup will have nearly a full squad to choose from, with only Cédric Zesiger unable to feature due to a red-card suspension. Former Bochum man Keven Schlotterbeck will replace him in the starting line-up. "He has worked hard in training and has earned himself a spot in the starting line-up," explained Thorup. 

Mergim Berisha also remains an option for the squad. "He's improving with every day that passes and is making good progress," Thorup said about the striker, who has been working his way back from a lengthy injury lay-off. The head coach would not confirm, however, whether Berisha would be an option to start against Bochum.

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