FC Augsburg wants to stop its downward trend. The Swabians have been waiting for a win for five games. Enrico Maaßen is convinced that we will succeed against Stuttgart: “We will come here with a lot of energy,” promises the FCA coach.
Two points from the last five games. The results of the last few days read anything but pleasant for Augsburg fans. The Swabians got off to a strong start in 2023 with four home wins in a row. But the cushion built up in the direction of the relegation zone has been melting since then.
Wobbly defense
Particularly bitter for FC Augsburg: Both against Schalke 04 and in the following game against VfL Wolfsburg, FCA gambled away the win in the last minutes of injury time and lost four points. FCA coach Enrico Maaßen sees these as “development points” that the team needs to address in order to “bring the lead across the line, to improve and to stay true to themselves”. Because it’s just “a little bit” missing so that his team can get points again.
There is also a bit of a lack of defensive stability, especially on the right flank. At 2: 3 against Leipzig FCA coach Enrico Maassen replaced Robert Gumny in the 38th minute last Saturday. The right defender could not keep up with the fast Leipzigers. However, there are not many alternatives on the right flank for the Augsburgers. Left-footed Mads Pedersen can be used better on the left and trained right-back Raphael Framberger has been loaned out to Sandhausen.
failure plagued Offensive
In addition, Augsburg had to do without their two most accurate strikers in the last few games. Ermedin Demirović has been suspended for three games after receiving a red card against Schalke, while international Mërgim Berisha was injured. At least Demirović is available again against VfB Stuttgart. Good news for FCA coach Maassen.
Because against VfB there is a groundbreaking game for the Augsburg team in the fight to stay up in the league. Stuttgart is currently five points behind the Augsburgers on the relegation place. Enrico Maassen makes it clear: “If you score points against your direct competitors, that’s very, very important and a good feeling.” But it won’t be an easy task.
Stuttgart on the up
While self-confidence is currently in short supply in Augsburg, the Stuttgarters come to Augsburg euphoric after their 3: 3 against BVB. VfB were 2-0 down at half-time and, on top of that, played with one man less from the 40th minute. But Stuttgart fought back and equalized in the last minute of added time to make it 3:3.
Augsburg without its captain
The goal for FC Augsburg is simple. A win against Stuttgart is needed to avoid slipping deeper into the relegation battle. Enrico Maassen doesn’t want to deal with that yet: “If we just start looking down, we’ll have a problem and we won’t.”
Augsburg will have to do without their captain Jeffrey Gouweleeuw against Stuttgart. The central defender is yellow suspended. A damper for the already weakened defense. Of course, a strong offensive performance is also needed. But the Augsburgers are not known for igniting goal fireworks. Five of eight wins of the season ended 1-0.
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What: BR24 Sport
April 20, 2023 – 7:55 p.m