On Saturday, FC Augsburg will host Union Berlin at the WWK Arena (15:30 CET). While Alfred Finnbogason praised the current mood within the team, head coach Markus Weinzeirl knows that this weekend's match will be crucial in order to secure safety.

Augsburg will be without Fredrik Jensen on Saturday. The Finland international is dealing with a muscular issue and will miss the upcoming match, but will be back in team training soon. Carlos Gruezo and Ricardo Pepi will only return from international duty on Friday. Weinzierl is pleased with what he saw during training over the international break, saying "We had some good discussions, good sessions and an intense friendly against Regensburg." FCA ended up drawing 3-3 against SSV Jahn last week. The focus during the international break was on analysing the Leverkusen match as well as certain internal processes. 

Finnbogason: "Need a repeat of the Bayern game in order to celebrate together with the fans" 

Finnbogason is optimistic when looking ahead to the coming challenges. "No one is happy with what we see when we look at the table. But, we have a lot of experience with being in a situation like this and there are still 14 games left. If we want to kickstart a bit of a hot streak, then we need to start it off with a win." The striker added, "We need a repeat of the games agaisnt VfB or Bayern in order to be able to celebrate with the fans again." 

Weinzierl is also looking forward to welcoming back the fans, saying "We know what our situation is and we also know that we need to start using the home games to pick up points in order to secure safety. We need to fight hard together with our fans and play well." According to Weinzierl, it will be important to have the support of the fans because, "We have three home games this month and I hope that their support and passion will help the players." 

Weinzierl: "We need to approach it as a team"

The head coach knows that Union are not an easy opponent. Despite having never lost at home to FCU, the Berliners have grown into a formidable side over the last years. "We need to approach this as a team," Weinzierl said. "Union play as a team, and we will need to be out to win right from the start. They are a fine-tuned unit and even the departure of Max Kruse won't throw them off their rhythym." 

According to Weinzierl, Union are on a good path at the moment: "There are a lot of contributing factors: a coach and a club that share the same philosophy, a good atmosphere in the stadium and smart transfers. That all helps." 

As for Finnbogason, he remains optimistic and said "I feel good and feel ready to take on the role I've been assigned. We need to play as a team and I will give it my all no matter how long I am on the pitch for." Weinzierl added, "I don't care who plays, what's important is that everyone gives it 100% on the pitch. Our task is to beat Union." 

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