Baum: “Full throttle towards Gladbach”
First competitive fixture of 2026
First Team
09.01.2026, 15:30
On Sunday, FC Augsburg will restart their Bundesliga campaign with an away match against Borussia Mönchengladbach (15:30 CET). Following the short winter break, head coach Manuel Baum is looking ahead with clarity.
“We used the break to unwind a bit,” said Baum, who will hold the reins at FCA until the end of the season. “On 2nd January, we all met up again and were really looking forward to seeing each other. It’s cool to approach the next 19 games with this set-up.” During the preparations for the second half of the season, Baum noted that they “implemented a couple of new ideas” and are now going “full throttle towards Gladbach”, especially with two more fixtures later in the week and another intense period on the horizon.
The sides are almost neck-and-neck in the table. Gladbach sit in twelfth on 16 points, with FCA two points back in fifteenth place. Alongside the typical stability and compactness, Baum is also calling on his team to show more impetus up front. “We’re going one step at a time and want to develop the belief that we can win against anyone,” emphasised the 46-year-old.
FCA aren’t shirking away from the harsh winter conditions. “We’ll use the right footwear,” stated Baum with the low temperatures and possibly challenging pitch conditions in mind. “We’ve been here in Augsburg for the whole of the break. We’ve experienced cold temperatures and snow in our training sessions, and we’ll adapt to it.
Matsima misses out with tendon tear
FCA will have to deal with a few absentees from the squad ahead of their trip to Gladbach. Chrislain Matsima’s injury is an especially tough pill to swallow. The 23-year-old suffered a tendon tear in his left thigh during training. “He’ll be out for a while,” said Baum. Captain Jeffrey Gouweleeuw is also still out, with left-back Dimitris Giannoulis suspended after picking up his fifth booking of the season in the previous game.
There are also question marks over Kristijan Jakić’s involvement whose currently has an infection. Whether and for how long the midfielder will be able to play in Gladbach is unclear. New arrivals Michael Gregoritsch and Yannik Keitel, who bring a new dimension to FCA’s squad, will be available for the match.
At the same time, Baum has his eye on the youth academy. “We’re still focusing on our own youth players. They really impressed over the winter break,” commended FCA’s head coach.
