Thorup: “The team is feeling confident”
Sixth versus seventh on Friday night
First Team
17.04.2024, 15:30
Following their 2-0 triumph over Union Berlin at home, FC Augsburg will be in action on a Friday night once again this week, as they travel to take on Eintracht Frankfurt (20:30 CEST).
“The team is feeling confident. We’ve got the wind in our sails – it’s a good feeling,” said FCA head coach Jess Thorup. His side are currently seventh in the Bundesliga standings with five games to go this season. They sit just three points behind Friday’s opponents, who lost 3-0 against VfB Stuttgart last weekend. The reverse fixture at the WWK ARENA was a 2-1 victory for FCA in sub-zero temperatures.
Throup described Frankfurt as “a top side with a lot of individual quality”, but the Dane was keen to stress that FCA are focusing on their own game. “We want to win in order to guarantee our survival. We can take matters into our own hands by winning against Frankfurt,” explained the 54-year-old.
Special game for Jakić
Robert Gumny, Elvis Rexhbecaj and Frederik Jansen are still sidelined, though Niklas Dorsch, Kevin Mbabu and Kristijan Jakić all returned to training this week. It’s a special match for Jakić in particular, who is on loan at FCA from the Eagles. “It’s an important game for all of us,” said Thorup, while praising the 26-year-old Croatian’s desire to win.
Ruben Vargas had a lighter workload in this week’s training sessions, but Thorup is confident that the Swiss international will be able to play on Friday. Thorup continued by saying that Iago is still working on his match fitness. Around 2,000 Augsburg fans are expected to accompany the team to Frankfurt for the match.
