Guardiola expecting tough Augsburg tie

Posted Sunday, February 14, 2016 by Foxsports.com

Bayern München manager Pep Guardiola reveals he has a lot of respect for FC Augsburg ahead of their Bundesliga tie at the WWK Arena on Sunday.

The Bavarians dropped league points for just the third time this season after a 0-0 draw against Leverkusen last time out and will want to get back to winning ways before second-placed BVB Dortmund can start eating away at their five-point lead at the top of the table.

The defending Bundesliga champions picked up a morale-boosting 3-0 win over Bochum in midweek to reach the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal, but Guardiola knows the tie against Augsburg will be a completely different challenge.

"It will be a very difficult game. Their quality, their team, the coach, the stadium, the fans, the pitch, it all speaks for them," he said.

"Markus Weinzierl made headlines last season when Augsburg qualified for the Europa League for the first time ever. Whoever wins a lot of games is a good coach.

"Daniel Baier is an important player for them, but they will find a way to cope without him. I am sure they will start with 11 players just like us.

"I never fear any players in particular. But I have a lot of respect for them. I know that we can lose against them. But that can only happy if we are not ready for them.

"We very often play against aggressive teams throughout the season, often against teams that sit deep. We have to adapt to our opponents," Guardiola concluded.