Baum: “Believe in what we’re doing”
FCA host Leverkusen
First Team
10.09.2026, 15:45
After their 4-1 away win at Eintracht Frankfurt, FC Augsburg are back on home soil for the second time this season, with Bayer 04 Leverkusen visiting the WWK ARENA on Saturday (12th September, 15:30 CEST). Ahead of the game, head coach Manuel Baum highlighted the strength in depth at his disposal.
Baum is expecting Leverkusen to pose a major test but wants the focus to remain firmly on his own side. “Over the course of the season, we want to show that no team enjoys coming to Augsburg,” said the 47-year-old. He described Leverkusen as “a physically strong side who cover a lot of ground and have enormous quality on the ball”.
The FCA head coach isn’t reading too much into his side currently sitting top of the table. For him, trusting in the work they are doing and the quality within the squad is far more important. “The key is believing in what we’re doing and sticking to our principles even when things aren’t going so well.”
That was also reflected in this week’s training, with particular attention paid to the areas that still need improvement, including FCA’s first-half performance in Frankfurt. Baum explained the standards he expects regardless of the previous result: “You should never be able to tell from the way we train whether we won or lost the last game. We want to earn every win all over again.”
Baum highlights squad depth
FCA will be without Tim Breithaupt, Steve Mounié, Sima Suso and Faik Sakar against Leverkusen. Anton Kade also remains a doubt, with a further examination on Thursday set to provide more clarity over his availability.
Baum believes his side are in a strong position ahead of Saturday’s home game and once again stressed the importance of the entire squad. “It’s not just the starting XI that matters. The players throughout the squad are just as important. We’ve got a lot of quality and real strength in depth, so nobody can afford to take their place for granted.” The fact that FCA’s last seven goals have been scored by seven different players is further evidence of that strength in depth.
