Ten years in a tweet: Augsburg savour remarkable rise

Posted Saturday, February 13, 2016 by PA

Augsburg have been reflecting on their remarkable rise ahead of a big week for the Bavarian club.

"In 2006, Augsburg faced Eschborn and Pfullendorf. In 2011, it was Cottbus and Oberhausen. This week, we have Bayern Munich and Liverpool," read a message to the club's Twitter followers on Friday.

It shows how far they have come in just under a decade, from the regional leagues of Bavarian football to facing the 25-time champions and one of the biggest clubs in world football.

"Nevertheless, we are still a small club and we still have to fight for all the points we can get to stay up," said their coach Markus Weinzierl in the Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.

"It's like two extremes somehow colliding."

Even German chancellor Angela Merkel has chipped in on Augsburg's rise, telling British prime minister David Cameron at a recent meeting that it is "an amazing story."

Weinzierl, the architect of it, could not agree more.

"It really is a sensational story, what has happened here in the past four years," he said.

"I think it's unique for such a small German team to have played their way to the forefront of the international game.

"For sure I could never have even imagined such a story when I sat down to sign my contract with Augsburg."

Weinzierl is undoubtedly looking forward to measuring himself against Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, two coaches who have lavished praise on him in the past for the job he has done in Augsburg, but he says the biggest game his club have in the next eight days is their last one - at Hannover.

"That is where we've got to get the points," he said.

There is no pressure on them to beat Bayern this Sunday, therefore, or upset Liverpool in the Europa League. Those games are purely for the fans' enjoyment, even if there are precedents.

Augsburg have beaten Bayern in each of the past two seasons, although not in the same circumstances.

"You have got to be honest and say that we caught Bayern at good times," admitted Weinzierl. "Both times, they had already wrapped up the title."

Bayern still have a way to go before the title will be theirs this season, and their eight-point advantage over Borussia Dortmund could become five by the time they take to the field at the Augsburg Arena.

"I know that we can lose games, but only if we are not ready," Guardiola said, confirming that his team will be taking Augsburg seriously.

"The quality, the team, the coach, the stadium, the fans, the pitch - there is a lot going for Augsburg, so it's going to be pretty tough.

"We've still got to win a lot of points before we have defended our title."

Guardiola is again without key defenders, although Serdar Tasci could help out at the back, particularly with Xabi Alonso suspended.

Franck Ribery and Mario Gotze could also return to the squad for a Bavarian derby which Augsburg were only dreaming about five years ago.