FIRST TEAM
08/21/2014

Markus Gisdol: We've been working towards this moment for six, seven weeks

TSG are set to start their seventh season in the Bundesliga on Saturday at 15:30 CEST. Their opponents in the opening fixture are FC Augsburg, who finished one place above Hoffenheim last season. achtzehn99.de looks ahead to the match…

Markus Gisdol on…

...the opponents:

Augsburg continue to be underrated. The club finished eighth last season and just missed out on qualification for the Europa League. They're tough opponents to face for the first match of the season. It doesn't please me that they lost in the cup. They will be highly motivated and incredibly well prepared. A defeat like that really sharpens your senses.

...the squad:

Andreas Beck trained with the team again on Wednesday. It looks as if nothing will stand in the way of our captain making an appearance. That's important for us. I can't say whether Roberto Firmino, Kevin Volland, Pirmin Schwegler and Jin-Su Kim will be available on Saturday. We still have two training sessions ahead of us.

...the situation:

The anticipation and the tension is high. We've been working towards this moment for six, seven weeks. No one knows exactly where we stand at the moment. The Bundesliga is different to a friendly, no matter how good the opponents are. The league has the added factors of the fans, the emotions and the adrenaline. Everyone goes above and beyond their limit. That means there's about 20 to 25% that you can't predict. What I can tell you is whether we've worked hard in pre-season, and that's something that I can definitely confirm.

Andreas Beck on..

...the opponents

Augsburg are very uncomfortable opponents, who we have prepared for intensively. The past games against FCA have all been hard-fought, tight games. That's what we're expecting on Saturday.

...the situation:

We're a few steps further than we were last year in certain aspects, especially in terms of our team tactics. We have more strength in depth this season, but first of all, we have to back up our displays from the last campaign, which at times were very good. Our self-assessment is and will remain realistic. Sure we can cause a surprise if really get into a flow, but it's difficult and it's a long journey.

Past meetings:

Hoffenheim and Augsburg have met six times before in the Bundesliga: TSG have won twice, FCA have won twice and there have been two draws. The goal record in encounters between the two sides is just in Hoffenheim's favour with 7-6. In their last meeting on matchday 30, Markus Gisdol's men secured a 2-0 home victory thanks to goals from Sejad Salihovic and Jannik Vestergaard. Interestingly, TSG's 2-0 victory in another meeting on 20th August 2011 was FCA's first ever Bundesliga defeat.

The opponents:

Augsburg will be looking to follow on from their consistent 2013/14 campaign, which saw them finish eighth in the table, directly above TSG. It was their club's best ever season. Three key players have left in the form of André Hahn, Matthias Ostrzolek and Kevin Vogt, while the new signings will need time to familiarise themselves with Augsburg's style. After varying results in pre-season, Weinzierl's team were knocked out in the first round of the DFB Cup by 1. FC Magdeburg; not the start to 2014/15 they had anticipated.

The key battles:

Weinzierl's team impressed in the previous season with their compactness and control in the centre of the park – Daniel Baier and Jan Moravek played very important roles in that. After winning the ball, they are able to quickly start attacks up the flanks. Moravek faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines though following a cruciate ligament injury – Dominik Kohr has covered him recently. That absence will change nothing in terms of tactics for Augsburg though. TSG know that having control in midfield will be important; losing the ball sloppily in this area must be avoided and switching to defence will be vital. “When a player loses the ball and doesn't try to win it back, there will be trouble,” says Markus Gisdol. This will apply especially against FC Augsburg.

Match facts and statistics »

Download Now!
Print Page to top