Newcastle head into their final friendly of the summer on the back of a heavy defeat at SC Braga on Wednesday, having previously beaten Irish side St. Patrick’s Athletic before drawing against both Hull City and FC Porto.
The Fuggerstädter, meanwhile, are gearing up for an eighth straight season in the Bundesliga, having been promoted to the German top flight for the first time in their history ahead of the 2011/12 campaign.
Despite being tipped to struggle last time out, Manuel Baum’s side again punched above their weight to finish a respectable twelfth, and Hamann – the only German international in United’s history – feels the Bavarian outfit will prove a tough nut to crack when they arrive on Tyneside on Saturday.
“It should be a good test for Newcastle,” he said. “Augsburg are a very physical side with some very interesting players.
“They always lose players to bigger clubs, but they have been in the Bundesliga for eight or nine years now. They even qualified for the Europa League a few years ago, when they lost to Liverpool.
“It’s a small city. The team are very hard-working, organised, and the manager has done a fantastic job. They lose players on a yearly basis but are able to replace them and not lose any quality in their side.
“It’s really remarkable how they’ve done. Last year, they finished near the top half again, when most people – myself included – expected them to go down or be close to the bottom. Their physicality is one of their biggest assets, so I think it’ll be a good game for Newcastle to be involved in.”
Hamann – who started his own playing days with Bayern Munich, located just an hour down the road from Augsburg – was speaking to the Magpies’ matchday programme, UNITED, the latest edition of which will be on sale from various vendors around St. James’ Park on Saturday.
Now 44, he spent a year on Tyneside after catching the eye for his country at the 1998 World Cup, and – despite suffering an injury early into his Magpies career as well as heartache in the final of the FA Cup – he spoke fondly about his 12-month spell in black and white.
“I had a fantastic time at Newcastle. The support we got, particularly when we got home after the FA Cup final, was tremendous,” he said. “It’s a great set of people, a great set of fans, and a fantastic football club. Everything was in place. I think, on the pitch, we didn’t progress in the league as much as we could have, but there was huge potential.”
To read Hamann’s interview in full, pick up a copy of UNITED – priced at just £3 – on Saturday.
