Preview: Start of a jam-packed month | OneFootball

Eintracht have six games between now and Christmas, the first of which is away to an FC Augsburg side still unbeaten under their new coach.

Situation

After playing in Europe during the week, Eintracht now switch their focus to the Bundesliga. Three days after the Eagles’ UEFA Europa Conference League Matchday 5 encounter with PAOK, they are in action again on Sunday 3 December in Augsburg (kick-off 19:30 CET).

Last term, Augsburg only narrowly avoided the relegation play-offs after finishing the campaign in 15th place. This season, results were patchy early on, and after being eliminated in the first round of the DFB Cup and picking up just one win in their first eight competitive matches, head coach Enrico Maaßen was dismissed. Augsburg have since become more stable under Jess Thorup, whose charges now have 14 points from 12 games to sit in 10th place, just four points behind Eintracht.

Augsburg’s 1-1 draw against 1. FC Union Berlin last week was the team’s third consecutive stalemate by that scoreline. Ermedin Demirovic got Augsburg’s goal, and he is the side’s top scorer so far with seven.

Looking back

Eintracht are unbeaten in their last seven Bundesliga assignments against Augsburg. The most recent game was a 1-1 draw at Deutsche Bank Park last season; prior to that, Sebastian Rode and Ansgar Knauff got the goals as the Eagles came from behind to win at the WWK Arena on 5 November 2022.

New coach bounce

Thorup took over the reins in Augsburg on 15 October 2023 and his team have been on a five-game unbeaten run in the Bundesliga since then. The 53-year-old Danish tactician, who was previously in charge at Copenhagen, Genk, Gent and Midtjylland, sends his team out in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Augsburg have scored 11 goals in their first five games under Thorup and while they also look more solid at the back, they are yet to keep a clean sheet in 2023/24.