Football Season Guide

Augsburg just about managed to stay clear of the relegation zone come the end of last season with Markus Weinzierl's return resulting in three points from three games that was enough to secure a 13th placed finish. Weinzierl will be looking for a repeat of his early reign at the club when Augsburg established themselves in the top half of the table. Augsburg have largely held on to their players this season though there have been a couple of big name departures with Rani Khedira not renewing his contract while Kevin Danso has been sold to Lens. Marek Suchy has also left the club while Laszlo Benes' loan deal was not converted into a permanent move. Niklas Dorsch has been Augsburg's most expensive arrival so far with the midfielder expected to replace Khedira in the lineup. Daniel Klein is the only other major arrival and is expected to provide backup to Rafal Gikiewicz and Tomas Koubek in the goal. Augsburg do have a solid enough squad to finish clear of the relegation zone once again but it is in the final third that they might struggle as Alfred Finnbogason's injury problems means they have struggled to provide a reliable backup for Florian Niederlechner, something which Weinzierl will hope to fix before the transfer window shuts.