Augsburg suffered a defeat at the hands of Xhaka.
FC Augsburg Gears Up for 2025/26 Season with Mixed Pre-Season Results
FC Augsburg is set to kick off their 2025/26 season six days from now, with an away game against SC Freiburg in the first round of the DFB-Pokal [1]. The team's pre-season has been a mixed bag, with wins against Gersthofen (9-0), Memmingen (4-1), Lustenau (2-0), and RW Essen (1-0), a loss against AFC Sunderland (0-1), draws against Crystal Palace (1-1 and 1-0) and Pisa (2-2), and a win against RW Essen (2-1) [1].
The final pre-season friendly saw Augsburg fall to Premier League club AFC Sunderland at home. Habib Diarra scored the winning goal for Sunderland, assisted by Granit Xhaka (14') [1]. Xhaka, a former Leverkusen player, played for Sunderland in the match.
Coach Sandro Wagner expressed satisfaction with FC Augsburg's offensive play during the match but identified areas for improvement, particularly when they don't have the ball [1]. Wagner's team, FC Augsburg, will face Hallescher FC in the DFB-Pokal on August 17 [1].
The players of FC Augsburg were disappointed with the result of the match against Sunderland. Despite the missed opportunity, Augsburg struggled to find an equalizer after the restart. Phillip Tietz missed a penalty for Augsburg during the match (29') [1].
The day before the match against AFC Sunderland, Augsburg drew 2:2 against Italian Serie A newcomers Pisa SC, with two goals from Steve Mounié [1].
Finn Dahmen, the goalkeeper for FC Augsburg, emphasized the need for the team to improve a few things before starting with a win in their next game, whether it's in the DFB-Pokal or the Bundesliga season [1].
Wagner is the new coach for FC Augsburg for the debut season, and he is still in the process of fully implementing his ideas, especially in defense. The new signings have yet to make a major impact, but youngsters Noahkai Banks and Aiman Dardari have impressed and featured regularly [1].
[1] Source: Augsburger Allgemeine (https://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/sport/fuessen/fuessen-sunderland-0-1-nach-der-0-1-geht-es-weiter-bei-augsburg-b1-10669423.html)
Des Considering the team's upcoming match in the 2025/26 season, FC Augsburg will face European-leagues competition when they face off against Premier League's AFC Sunderland, a lesson learned from their disappointing home loss against the club. Despite fine offensive play and Steve Mounié's two goals in their draw against Italian Serie A newcomers Pisa SC, Augsburg will need to focus more on their defensive strategies under new coach Sandro Wagner, particularly when they don't have possession.
