Thorup: “Our aim is clear - we want to win!”
An away trip to Kiel to round off the year
First Team
19.12.2024, 15:00
FC Augsburg’s final game of 2024 is away to Holstein Kiel on Saturday, 21st December (15:30 CET), and FCA head coach Jess Thorup is looking to end the year and go into the winter break on a positive note.
“Our aim is clear: we want to win the game so we can go into the winter break with a positive feeling,” explained Jess Thorup at the press conference ahead of the last competitive game of the year. FCA are set to face promoted Kiel, who currently occupy 17th place in the table, which will be the first Bundesliga fixture between the two sides, who last faced off in the 2019 edition of the DFB-Pokal, as the Fuggerstädter claimed a 1-0 win in the round of 16. Thorup is expecting a close-fought encounter: “Kiel are strong at home and also have a lot of strengths.”
Balance between defence and attack
The Dane has analysed the last home game, a 2-0 home defeat against Bayer Leverkusen: “We want to retain the things we did out of possession in that game, because we didn’t allow them many chances. However, we want to go one step further in possession and create more chances.” The balance between defence and attack appears to be important, the head coach continued: “We’re not feeling any pressure in particular, but we understand the significance of this game. The last game before the winter break always sticks in the mind, so it’s not just about the three points for us, but also a positive final performance of the year.”
Gouweleeuw suspended
Thorup will have to do without suspended skipper Jeffrey Gouweuleeuw after the defender picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Leverkusen. In addition, Mads Pederson (groin), Masaya Okugawa (thigh) and Yusuf Kabadayi (outer meniscus) are also sidelined for this fixture. However, Fredrik Jensen is fit and available. A return for Finn Dahmen after his shoulder injury isn’t yet on the cards, despite him being involved in parts of this week’s training.
Approximately 1,100 FCA fans are travelling to support the team in Kiel.
