Baum’s second stint on the FCA bench has actually proven enormously successful. Since Baum’s return to the sidelines on match-day 13 of the current campaign only Dortmund (27), Bayern (26), Hoffenheim (23), and Stuttgart (21) have picked as many or more points than his Fuggerstädter (21). The 46-year-old’s historically horrendous Schalke 04 stint in the autumn of 2020 still lives on in one’s memory, but grows fainter by the day.

Apropos memories that don’t readily surface in the mind, Augsburg’s horrendous home form near the end of the Sandro Wagner Era feels as if it took place an eternity ago. The last time Augsburg lost at the WWK-Arena occurred during the nightmarish three-match home losing streak that culminated in the 0-1 home defeat against Borussia Dortmund on All Hallows Eve. Naturally, this had to be the last FCA match the author attended in person. 

Augsburg won again at home this evening, dispatching relegation rivals FC Köln 2-0 behind goals from Rodrigo Ribeiro and Alexis Claude-Maurice. This result may wholly ensure that the club never receives another relegation race section. Perhaps the partial club “Roman Rebranding” that saw the team tunnel redecorated to resemble a hall designed for gladiatorial combat ended up working after all. 

Auf geht’s Augustus Vindelicum!

 Augsburg

Augsburg’s win over relegation rivals 1. FC Köln in the Bundesliga match-day 24 Friday night curtain raiser may prove sufficient to get this Römerstadt out of the relegation discussion entirely. Congratulations are practically already in order. The Bavarian Swabians made a big deal out of commemorating their 500th official Bundesliga match with special team tricots, top class fan displays, and even an especially ornate donation from the “Puppenkiste”. 

As we’ll cover a tad more below, however, obtaining four more points to officially seal their 16th consecutive season of Bundesliga football may take some time. The short-term schedule remains especially brutal. No matter. With the pressure off, it’s entirely possible that Baum’s crew can produce a surprise and clinch early. Failing that, they can always simply take their time.

Trainer Check, Augsburg

Before getting to anything else, we’ll want to expend a few words on Baum himself. Will the man who went to great pains to label himself a “reluctant steward” of his old club actually end up extending his contract beyond the current short-term lease? Phrew. Excellent question. One senses that Baum remains sincere whenever he unpretentiously insists that he wishes to get back to overseeing the youth ranks.

After the Schalke humbling, he surely prefers a less stressful job out of the limelight. The opinion of the Ulrich Biesinger Tribüne is another matter. The ultras in the FanKure clearly want him to carry on. A few more weeks of collages and choreos might lead to Baum renewing his interest in full-time Bundesliga coaching. There’s plenty of very young talents on the FCA roster that could also use his help. 

Key Performer Check, Augsburg

Alexis Claude-Maurice, ATTM

We get to have some fun in this section, checking in on the players most instrumental in engineering the team’s turnaround. The fabulous Frenchman can’t help but lead the pack here. Where was the man who recorded the first ever FCA “Lupenreiner” last spring during the first half of this season? Duh. Literally nowhere. Claude-Maurice recorded one paltry assist all year long before finally opening his 2025/26 Bundesliga account during the final match of the Hin-Runde.

Since finally getting into second gear, the 27-year-old has added three more league goals. On two occasions (in crucial wins against relegation rivals St. Pauli and Wolfsburg), Claude-Maurice has pocketed two assists. It seemed fitting enough that he scored perhaps the most decisive goal of the season this eve. The fact that all he had to do was shoot into an empty net vacated by Köln keeper Marvin Schwäbe is irrelevant. Claude-Maurice simply deserved it. 

Han-Noah Massengo, CM

A steal midfield hand that immediately took to German football (to the point that he even permitted journalists to call him “Hans Massengo”) deserves immense credit for helping the team this season. The former Burnley man has started all 24 league fixtures thus far. While certainly prone to “off nights” (and tonight’s match happened to be one), the 24-year-old has often delivered immaculately in the clutch. 

The scorer of the match-winner against Bayern Munich helped his team cultivate the belief that they can beat just about anyone. Massengo’s other goal of the Bundesliga campaign, during the matchday 10 loss against Stuttgart demonstrated just what a hard-nosed and determined footballer he can be. One really likes this Frenchman. Despite all his rough and tumble tackles, he’s a fair player who has only been booked twice.

Robin Fellhauer, RM

Before one totally writes the Sandro Wagner Era off as a total loss, one should consider the fact that it was Wagner to built the former Elversberg captain up with a series of intrepid and versatile tactical deployments. The Mannheim native entered the season as a 27-year-old Bundesliga rookie with only two seasons at the 2. Bundesliga level under his belt. Both Wagner and Baum saw fit to use him in some capacity in all 24 league fixtures. 

Given his lack of top flight experience, Fellhauer has experienced plenty of expected slumps. To date, he’s also gotten his name on the scoresheet twice. Some of the talk about him remains overblown and the whole drama over his hospital staycounts as hyperbolic. One should still salute the fighter from one of Germany’s great industrial jungles. He works hard to be effective whatever the assignment. 

Rodrigo Ribeiro, LS

Ahem. One of last week’s most celebrated new rising talents has scored yet again. Watching the 20-year-old work in his second consecutive Bundesliga start, the author is stuck by how gifted the young Portuguese talent is on the ball. Perhaps in his third loan stint in his third country, the Sporting CP loanee has managed to combine his raw talent with that essential bit of confidence necessary for a big breakthrough. 

Ribeiro will have to continue to perform on a much more consistent basis in order to get his Bundesliga club to consider pulling the trigger on his purchase option. Plenty more is needed from him. Suffice to say that, for the moment, Michael Gregoritsch is probably beginning to get nervous about potentially being shipped back to Denmark. Who wouldn’t be?

Tactics Check, Augsburg

Baum has effectively settled on a back-three system with prominent wingbacks and a very tightly grouped second and third axis. Not much magic to report on really. Such a constellation is precisely what one would expect from to see from a relegation threatened Bundesliga side. The arrangement does an effective job of controlling matches, if not boring observers profusely, until someone on the upward cycles breaks through.l

Lineup—Augsburg, Round 23 (3-4-3)

Ribeiro scored his inaugural Bundesliga goal in the 2-3 away victory over Wolfsburg last week. Gregoritsch converted off the bench from the spot. Elvis Rexhbecaj (also introduced later) netted the winner against his former club. Claude-Maurice set up both Ribeiro and Rexhbecaj with one of his patented two-assist performances. We essentially saw the same thing against Köln in the most recent round. The only change saw Fabian Rieder introduced. Fellhauer switched left to take over for Dimitirios Giannoulis.

Lineup—Augsburg, Round 24 (3-4-3)

It appeared as if Kristijan Jakic worked deeper, in part to allow both Rieder and Noahkhai Banks to push up higher against a significantly weaker Kölner left. Rieder and Fellhauer actually switched often, perhaps in an effort to throw their markers off. This worked very well. Banks delivered an excellent match and registered an assist. Mert Kömür enjoyed a great deal more freedom and went on some enterprising dribbles. 

In the section on Baum above, we mentioned that Augsburg’s academy director may wish to continue to work the Bundesliga bench in order to reap the personal rewards of continuing to develop young talent. What we’ve seen from Banks and Kömür lately might relate to some of Baum’s deliberate grooming. Kömür, in particular, has stalled badly after all of his early season accolades.

Maybe Baum played a role in convincing Kömür to stay despite lucrative offers from abroad this January. It might prove the case that, inversely, Kömür can convince Baum that carrying on with the project is worthwhile. So much depends on whether Baum believes he still has work to complete as the man running the dugout.

Remaining Schedule, Augsburg

Four more points until Augsburg can secure safety. This seems a forgone conclusion….until one looks at the remaining schedule. As noted above, we may be in for something of a wait. How long exactly? Gulp. There isn’t what appears to be a guaranteed three-pointer until May. That’s said in all seriousness.

Round 25

RB Leipzig (A)

Round 26

Borussia Dortmund (H)

Round 27

VfB Stuttgart (H)

Round 28

Hamburger SV (A)

Round 29

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (H)

Round 30

Bayer 04 Leverkusen (A)

Round 31

Eintracht Frankfurt (H)

Round 32

Werder Bremen (A)

Round 33

Borussia Mönchengladbach (H)

Round 34

Union Berlin (A)

During the same run of fixtures in the Hin-Runde, the team only secured two wins. Sandro Wagner secured an aberrant home victory against Hamburger SV. At the beginning of December, Baum guided the team to a home upset over Leverkusen. One wouldn’t wager safe money on Augsburg, even in their current form, winning either one of those fixtures away. 

Four points should come, but it won’t be easy.