Hunger and hard work Bayern’s ingredients for derby success in Augsburg

Is it a derby or not? Vincent Kompany was pretty clear in his answer. “If we go there on the coach, it’s a derby,” the Bayern head coach said at Friday’s pre-match press conference with a laugh. However, you want to describe it, Bayern know they’re in for a tough task for their second Bundesliga game of the season away at Augsburg on Saturday (kick-off at 6.30pm CEST, live coverage on fcbayern.com and on the FC Bayern app with our live text commentary and free web radio). “It’s never been easy away at Augsburg. There are reasons for that. It’ll be another special game,” Kompany added. Here’s all you need to know ahead of this Bavarian clash in our preview.

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The short trip to Augsburg ends Bayern’s first three-game week of the still nascent campaign. After a short pre-season and victory in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup against VfB Stuttgart, the men from Munich kicked off the Bundesliga season in style with a 6-0 thrashing of RB Leipzig. Things were far less clear cut on Wednesday as it took a late Harry Kane header to earn a 3-2 win at third-division Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the DFB Cup.

Read up on the pre-match stats:

It means Bayern haven’t had too long to get ready for this game, but Kompany isn’t going to let that be an excuse. “We’re used to having to prepare for the next game straight after a trip. The important thing is the players recover. The guys are used to having to make changes just by being shown videos and given information,” the Belgian explained, while also stressing that it’s not just physical qualities but also mental that his team need to show. “You can’t underestimate how hungry we are, how up we are for this game. We don’t want to be judged by our qualities but also for the basics – hard work, battling spirit and hunger for wins.”

Read more from Kompany ahead of the match:

Opponent: Augsburg

After a comfortable if not sparkling 2-0 win at Halle in the first round of the DFB Cup, Augsburg definitely caught the eye on opening weekend in the Bundesliga with a 3-1 victory at Freiburg. There have been changes at the top this summer with the arrival of former Bayern striker Sandro Wagner as coach. The Munich native came through the youth ranks at the club before returning for a brief spell in 2018. “It’s always fascinating when a new coach comes in. There are new ideas and new challenges for us. I don’t know him personally, but I obviously know what he’s done in the past. But tomorrow is about the match,” Kompany explained.

Find out more about Augsburg in our opposition profile:

Team news

Alphonso Davies (cruciate ligament), Hiroki Ito (metatarsal), Jamal Musiala (ankle/leg) and Tom Bischof (appendix operation) are all still sidelined for Bayern.

Augsburg are missing Alexis Claude-Maurice (foot), Maximilian Bauer (knock) and the suspended Samuel Essende.

What the coaches say