Augsburg will be out for revenge after their heavy 5-1 defeat to Holstein Kiel earlier this season, as Marcel Rapp’s relegation-threatened side visit WWK-Arena on Sunday desperate to pick up vital points in their fight for survival.
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FC Augsburg
Augsburg sit comfortably in mid-table, occupying 11th place with three games left to play. With no realistic shot at European qualification and no threat of relegation, Die Fuggerstädter are only playing for pride.
Still, Jess Thorup’s side will be eager to end the campaign on a high, starting with Sunday’s home clash against relegation-threatened Holstein Kiel, and bounce back from last week’s 2-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen.
Ahead of the game, Thorup highlighted an added source of motivation for his squad: the stinging 5-1 defeat to Kiel in the reverse fixture, which was played just before the winter break.
The Augsburg coach can take heart from his team’s improved defensive resilience in the second half of the season and a strong record at the WWK-Arena, where they’ve lost just once in their last six matches – a defeat that came against Bayern Munich.
Team News
Noahkai Banks, Yusuf Kabadayi and Reece Oxford are all sidelined through injury for the hosts.
Holstein Kiel
Holstein Kiel kept their hopes of Bundesliga survival alive with a thrilling 4-3 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach last weekend.
The victory lifted Marcel Rapp’s side to 22 points – still four adrift of the relegation playoff spot currently held by Heidenheim – but it provided a crucial boost heading into the final stretch of the season.
With just three games remaining, another win would be hugely welcome for Kiel, who will hope to replicate the stunning 5-1 victory they inflicted on Augsburg in the reverse fixture before Christmas.
However, Rapp is under no illusions about the task ahead, acknowledging the defensive strength of Sunday’s opponents. While Kiel have had little trouble finding the net, breaking down a well-organized Augsburg side will be a different challenge.
“We have to play to our limit because Augsburg are so good defensively. They’re compact and don’t leave many gaps, but we also have quality as we’ve shown in recent games,” he said ahead of the game.
“We play with real variety, which isn’t easy for teams to read, so we have every chance of going there and getting on the score sheet, even if it won’t be easy.”
Team News
Holstein Kiel will be without Patrick Erras, Lewis Holtby, Andu Yobel Kelati, Colin Kleine-Bekel, and Ivan Nekic due to injury, while Marco Komenda is also unavailable through suspension.
