Southampton play their first pre-season friendly on the St Mary’s turf this evening, as they host German side FC Augsburg.
The Saints have returned from their camp in France, which was capped with a dominant 3-0 victory over Ligue 1 outfit Saint-Etienne – the club’s first pre-season win.
Draws against Swiss side St Gallen and Championship club Brentford have both shown promising signs of what’s in store for Saints, and with a double header of home fixtures against Augsburg and Sevilla to come, Mauricio Pellegrino’s men will look to progress further, as the start of the 2017/18 campaign draws ever closer.
FC Augsburg, based in Bavaria, are the largest of their kind in that area, plying their trade in Germany’s top-flight. Manager Manuel Baum led the side to a 13th place finish in the Bundesliga last season, with the side gaining 38 points from 34 games. Augsburg had a fairly consistent season, managing to stay around the 12th place mark for the vast majority of the campaign, however they did slip into 16th place for a while, which would have seen them enter a relegation play-off.
One Saints player has had links with FC Augsburg in the past. Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg was on loan at the club during the 2014/15 season, when he was employed by German champions Bayern Munich. During his time there, he made 16 appearances, and scored twice.
In the 2015/16 season, FC Augsburg broke onto the European scene. They participated in the Europa League, where they finished second in Group L, alongside Athletic Bilbao, AZ Alkmaar and Partizan Belgrade. They went on to lose in the last 16 to finalists Liverpool, after being beaten 1-0 at Anfield.
FC Augsburg play their home matches at the Augsburg Arena, aslo known as the WWK Arena, which has a total capacity of 30,660. They have played here since 2009.
Creative midfielder Daniel Baier is another name Saints need to be wary of. The 33-year-old has excellent vision and great passing ability, with through balls one of the key assets of his game. The German played 29 times for Augsburg last season.
With the ball at his feet, winger Raul Bobadilla (above) is a tough man to stop. His tricky feet and shooting ability makes the Paraguay international a key asset to the Augsburg side. He made 19 appearances last season, scoring on five occasions. The former Basel man finished as Augsburg’s top scorer in the 2014/15 season.
Augsburg’s honours include:
- 2. Bundesliga runners up – 2010/11
- 13 times Schwaben Cup winners
- German Under 19 Cup winners
