It is the last of a string of assignments against continental opposition this summer, and here, we take a closer look at the Fuggerstädter…
LAST SEASON: Augsburg sat in the top half of the Bundesliga for much of the campaign only to end up in twelfth after just one win in their last eight outings. They got off to a superb start – defeating both DFB-Pokal winners Eintracht Frankfurt and Europa League quarter-finalists RB Leipzig early into the season – only for a degree of inconsistency to creep in during the autumn and winter. They were sandwiched between Werder Bremen and Hannover 96 in the final table, finishing two places above one of the Magpies’ pre-season opponents last year, Mainz 05.
THE MANAGER: Following a successful spell in caretaker charge, Manuel Baum was handed the Augsburg job on a permanent basis midway through the 2016/17 campaign. A lower-league player with Ismaning and Unterföhring, 38-year-old Baum started his coaching career with the latter in 2006. He later spent two years with SpVgg Unterhaching before moving to Augsburg as a youth coach. Following the departure of previous boss Dirk Schuster, he steadied the ship by leading the Fuggerstädter to four points from six before being handed his big break.
THE PLAYERS: Augsburg lost goalkeeper Marwin Hitz – a Swiss international – to Borussia Dortmund at the close of the 2017/18 campaign. With nobody having arrived in his place, either the experienced Andreas Luthe or former Bristol City loanee Fabian Giefer will start at St. James’ Park.
A key part of the Fuggerstädter’s attacking threat comes from the left side of defence, where Philipp Max provided 12 assists last season – the highest by anyone in the Bundesliga bar Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller. Ball-playing centre-half Jeffrey Gouweleeuw is likely to line up alongside 30-cap Austrian Martin Hinteregger in the heart of the rearguard. Hinteregger’s countryman, teenager Kevin Danso, has caught the eye since dropping into a more defensive role. Imposing yet quick, Danso has been compared to French great Marcel Desailly.
Shielding the backline is Rani Khedira – the younger brother of German international Sami. Joining him in the engine room is skipper Daniel Baier, who has now made more than 250 appearances for the club. Experienced South Korean Koo Ja-Cheol – a key figure for his country – provides an attacking edge from the middle of the park.
Brazilian Caiuby enjoyed a fine campaign last time out, missing just a single Bundesliga game while chipping in with a handful of goals from the wing. Fellow wide-men Marcel Heller and Jonathan Schmid both boast an array of experience in the German top flight – the former in particular. Augsburg’s leading scorer last term was Michael Gregoritsch – not an out-and-out striker but a towering presence with a lethal left foot to boot. On Tyneside, he may well start just off Alfreð Finnbogason – a member of the Iceland squad who infamously dumped England out of Euro 2016.
ANYTHING ELSE? Augsburg had been playing amateur football for more than 20 years prior to their promotion to the 2. Bundesliga in 2006. Today, they routinely pull in close to 30,000 fans and are gearing up for an eighth successive season at the top level.
