Weinzierl: "Our one and only aim is to win this game"
FCA head coach is optimistic about Sunday
First Team
15.10.2021, 15:11
On Sunday (17th October) at 17:30 CEST, FCA will resume their Bundesliga campaign after the international break against Arminia Bielefeld. This clash against a team so close to Augsburg in the table could be pivotal for Markus Weinzierl, who is motivated nonetheless and is looking forward to a hard-fought contest against Arminia.
Markus Weinzierl is certain: "We need to bring our A-game against a well-prepared opponent." The aim is to build on the performance shown against BVB, which, in Weinzierl’s eyes was a "good game, sadly without reward." Bielefeld are particularly strong as a unit, he warned, adding that their game depends heavily on covering a lot of ground and winning challenges. Weinzierl expects Sunday’s opponents to be "highly motivated, because they’re in the same situation as us," he explained. "It’s down to us, we need to be vigilant from the outset and play well," he stressed.
"I’m looking at this as a ‘glass half full’ scenario – if we win, we’ll have eight points from eight games after a tough schedule," said the coach, "we can put the things right that we did wrong and that’s exactly what we’re focused on doing."
"I’m hopeful of the three points"
Sunday’s focus will be on keeping the balance right between attack and defence: "We’ve had lots of games like this and know how to deal with it. If the balance is right, I’m confident we will play well and am hopeful of the three points," said Weinzierl.
As for squad personnel, the 46-year-old head coach will continue to make do without Felix Uduokhai and Florian Niederlechner. Alfred Finnbogason has been a permanent fixture in team training again since Tuesday, but it is not certain that he will feature. Ruben Vargas played for Switzerland during the international break after his absence through illness and Weinzierl is hoping to have him at his disposal on Sunday. Carlos Gruezo will only return to Augsburg from international duty on Saturday afternoon, but Weinzierl is optimistic regarding a potential appearance. Arne Maier had to withdraw from the press conference due to illness – his availability on Sunday is a doubt.
"We will fight for the points with the help of our fans"
The FCA boss has stressed that all the other players in Sunday’s squad are "highly-motivated and fit." In his eyes, the physical deficit as a result of the summer break has been caught up to the extent that a "100 percent fit team, that felt comfortable and played well" could be seen against Dortmund.
According to Weinzierl, every player is fully aware of the importance surrounding this Sunday’s game against Bielefeld. The three points are a must. "We are fully focused on Bielefeld and we will fight for 90 or 95 minutes with the help of our fans to get the win."
