Dimitrios Grammozis: Reward our hard work with a positive result

The 42-year-old feels that his team showcased themselves well in last week’s 2-1 defeat in Leverkusen. “We showed that we have taken a step in the right direction. It was important for the lads to sense that they could cause our opponents problems.” The coach is now hoping that their efforts will be reflected in the final score: “We’re due a result by now.”

The Greek believes that his charges are well prepared for the game and know what to expect. “Augsburg have a lot of technically good players in their squad. They’re a compact unit defensively and are well organised. They carry a serious threat on the counter too,” was the boss’ analysis.

2-2 draw earlier this season

The Royal Blues were just seconds away from victory in the reverse fixture, with FCA grabbing a stoppage-time equaliser in that 2-2 draw. “It’s a brand new situation this time,” insisted Grammozis, who doesn’t want to focus too much on the previous meeting his match preparation.

There are certainly more attacking options available to Schalke this time around. Not only did the game in Leverkusen see Klaas-Jan Huntelaar play the full 90 minutes and Goncalo Paciencia make his first appearance after months on the sidelines, but Mark Uth is also fit again. “He completed 100 percent of team training and looked solid,” reported the head coach.

The positive personnel situation in attack give Grammozis more room to play with. “It means we can think about which player fits best to which game,” he explained. However, he didn’t confirm whether Uth would be part of the setup for the meeting with Augsburg: “We don’t name the squad until after final training. We still have two more sessions.”

Praise for the medical team

There were also positive updates on Ralf Fährmann and Salif Sané, with the duo also returning to the training pitch this week and able to complete the majority of sessions with the team. “Both are on track, but again we’ll have to wait and see how final training goes,” noted Grammozis, who was also full of praise for the medical staff: “They’re working round the clock to make sure the lads can return to the pitch, so hats off to them.”

He also had positive words for Shkodran Mustafi’s reaction to not being selected for the trip to Leverkusen. “Musti has given it his all in training lately. He has worked hard, much like the rest of the team,” added the boss. Two players who will definitely miss out are Kilian Ludewig, who is expected to return to team training soon following his metatarsal fracture, and Steven Skrzybski. “Stevie is making progress, but I couldn’t give an estimate for when he will return,” said Grammozis.