Bayern want to keep run going against Augsburg

Saturday afternoon’s derby against FC Augsburg rings in the start of a five-week sprint to the winter break for FC Bayern. With nine games in three competitions on the schedule before Christmas, the league leaders are looking to continue their recent winning run on Matchday 12 at home to FCA (live from 15:30 CET on Ticker and Webradio).

“We still have two thirds of the season to go. It’s no good putting our arms around each other and celebrating seven wins in a row. We need to pick up from where we left off before the international break,” prescribed CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. A win against Augsburg would not only continue FCB’s run, but also make them the first club to break through the 3,000-point mark in the all-time Bundesliga table.

Augsburg are a way off that, but they do already have 16 points from 11 games this season and currently sit in 10^th place, closer to the Europa League places than the relegation zone. “Our neighbours deserve a lot of respect for the work they’re doing,” said Rummenigge, praising “a strong Augsburg side who many people expected before the season to be at the lower end of the table.” They have made people sit up with a 3-0 win in Bremen and a 1-1 draw against Leverkusen in their last two games.

Bernat in squad for first time - Thiago out

“It won’t be an easy task. They’re a very well-assembled team,” knows Jupp Heynckes, who also expressed he’s “very impressed with how structured their play is. They have a very clear plan.” The men from Swabia are also “incredibly ambitious, very hardworking and aggressive. I think we need to be well prepared for this match,” added the 72 year-old.

Heynckes will again be without Thomas Müller and Franck Ribéry, for whom the game will come too soon. “I won’t take any risks with them,” he confirmed. Thiago is also expected to miss out as he is nursing a “heavily bruised knee” which he suffered in Spain’s friendly against Russia. On the other hand, Juan Bernat will be in the squad for the first time this season after recovering from his injury, while David Alaba and Jérôme Boateng, who have been nursing slight knocks, should be available.

Confident visitors

Another returnee is Doctor Hans-Wilhelm Müller Wohlfahrt, who along with his team has taken over Bayern’s medical department following the departure of Dr Volker Braun last week.

Augsburg will make the short trip to Munich with a lot of confidence, despite the fact they were thrashed 6-0 the last time the sides met in April. “We had a lot of players missing through injury at the time,” recalled coach Manuel Baum, who is expecting a different type of match this weekend. “When you play against us, you have to overcome a team that gives everything for 90 minutes,” said Baum, aware of his side’s strengths. “We need a healthy level of aggression, because no top team likes that. I’m looking forward to the game, it’s a big challenge.”