Our next opponents: Schmidt kick-starts FC Augsburg

Position

The football business can have a short shelf life. But the fact it is not always negative is particularly clear to FC Augsburg supporters at the moment. FCA looked in danger of going down after a 4-0 defeat at home to Hoffenheim two weeks ago but the management reacted and coach Manuel Baum had to go. The mood at Augsburg was in the doldrums. Now, at the end of April, euphoria is the order of the day as staying up now seems almost certain. The turnaround is due to Martin Schmidt (pictured above) who took over as head coach and he has made a great start in his third managerial position in the Bundesliga. Against the high flyers from Frankfurt, Schmidt started with a surprising but fully deserved 3-1 win and last Saturday Augsburg demolished VfB Stuttgart with a 6-0 victory in a crucial relegation battle – the biggest-ever win in the Bundesliga for the club. FCA never scored more than four goals in a game before that in the top flight. "It's almost surreal. I've never had a game that went so much like clockwork," declared a surprised Schmidt. But more important: There is now a ten-point gap to direct rivals Stuttgart and a win against Bayer 04 on Friday would ensure Augsburg staying up this season.

Personnel

Schmidt certainly pulled a few tricks out of the bag in terms of personnel against Stuttgart. The usual left back Philipp Max was put on the left wing and the central striker was Marco Richter who normally plays on the flanks. The reshuffle was a complete success: Both Max and Richter netted braces in the 6-0 win. For Richter it was the second in succession: The 21-year-old scored twice in the 3-1 victory away to Eintracht Frankfurt where he was the FCA player of the match. A curious fact: The homegrown talent had not scored once in the previous 19 games this season and was often on the bench. The forward is now shining under the guidance of Schmidt. And, in those two matches’ Michael Gregoritsch, who has struggled for a long time this term, again looked like the player who stood out with 13 Bundesliga goals last season - although he was the only attacking player not to score against Stuttgart.

Problems

Schmidt's trick with Richter as central striker worked a treat but it was more or less an emergency measure. Augsburg's star, the Iceland international Alfred Finnbogason, underwent an operation on his calf two days before the important game against VfB Stuttgart and is ruled out for the rest of the season. The striker has continually battled with injuries over the course of this campaign but he still managed to clock up an impressive ten goals in 18 games - Augsburg will certainly miss that quality up front for the rest of the season. Also because the other central strikers in the squad are also sidelined through injury (Sergio Cordova, Dong-won Ji) or not fit for 90 minutes after coming back from injury (Julian Schieber). Lack of cover up front – and also right at the back recently. Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, one of the most impressive Augsburg players in the second half of the season, suffered concussion in the game against Frankfurt and had to miss the Stuttgart match. It is possible the Swiss keeper could be back in goal for FCA against the Werkself.

Potential

Following recent results, Augsburg can now start planning for the ninth Bundesliga season in succession – a huge success for a small club. And the coach looks like the right man: Martin Schmidt, with his experience from his time at Mainz and Wolfsburg, should keep FCA in Germany's top flight and settle things down after a fractious season. Also significant: A number of home-grown talents should strengthen the first team. Schmidt has got off to an impressive start with Richter and he is also keen on the 20-year-old central defender Kevin Danso. With this talented team and quality players like Gregoritsch or Finnbogason, Augsburg always have the potential to spring a surprise.

Prediction

Whether or not Augsburg get a result against Bayer 04 on Friday: It looks like nothing else should go wrong for FCA. Even in the event of a defeat against the Werkself, top-flight status could be sealed after this matchday if Stuttgart fail to win against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday night. Sooner or later Augsburg should be safe.