Augsburg: 2021/22 season preview
With Markus Weinzierl back at the helm and Germany U21 star Niklas Dorsch on board, Augsburg will be confident of extending their Bundesliga stay in 2021/22.
Last season
Augsburg's 2020/21 campaign got off to a flying start thanks to successive victories over Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund, as well as a 0-0 draw with eventual UEFA Champions League qualifiers Wolfsburg. Things went downhill from there, though. After Heiko Herrlich was relieved of his duties, the club turned to former coach Weinzierl for the remaining three games of the season.
The move paid off as Augsburg secured another campaign of Bundesliga football, ending the campaign three points clear of the relegation play-off place. With Alfred Finnbogason struggling for fitness and Florian Niederlechner form, Andre Hahn was their eight-goal top scorer.
New arrivals
Former Bayern Munich academy player Dorsch, who became a UEFA U21 Euros winner with Germany this past summer, heads the new faces at the WWK Arena. Dorsch joins from Gent after a single season in Belgium, with the 23-year-old ready to add to his sole Bundesliga appearance in April 2018. The midfielder marked his senior debut by scoring in Bayern's win over Eintracht Frankfurt seven years ago, while he also spent two years in the second division at Heidenheim prior to his move to Gent.
Lasse Günther is another arrival that joins directly from the champions, with the 18-year-old winger in search of first-team football with his new employers. The departure of Marco Richter to Hertha Berlin may present him an opportunity in the team, while central midfielder Arne Maier has come the other way on loan to bolster Augsburg's options in the middle of the park. Young goalkeeper Daniel Klein has also signed from Hoffenheim to serve as a deputy to club No.1 Rafal Gikiewicz.
How might Augsburg line up?
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What to expect
First of all, don't expect the campaign to be an easy one for Augsburg. First and foremost, survival is the aim of the game for the Fuggerstädter but there is plenty of talent in the squad for Weinzierl to tap into. Should he get the best out of his players then there's no reason why Augsburg can't ramp up those ambitions.
Dorsch's signing is an exciting one, potentially forging a partnership alongside Germany U21 teammate Maier, while Finnbogason, Hahn, Daniel Caligiuri, Michael Gregoritsch, Niederlechner and Ruben Vargas offer plenty of threat in attack.
Opening fixtures
DFB Cup: Greifswalder FC 2-4 Augsburg
Augsburg vs. Hoffenheim (Saturday, 14 August)
Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Augsburg (Saturday, 21 August)
Augsburg vs. Bayer Leverkusen (Saturday, 28 August)
Union Berlin vs. Augsburg (Saturday, 11 September)
Augsburg vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach (Saturday, 18 September)
Freiburg vs. Augsburg (Sunday, 26 September)
Click here to download all of Augsburg's Bundesliga fixtures to your calendar
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