First-choice goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz will also be absent from FC Augsburg in the relegation duel with VfB Stuttgart at the start of the 29th matchday of the Bundesliga. The injury-related absence is also very annoying for the 35-year-old Pole because, after 23 appearances this season, he is said to be only missing two games so that his contract, which expires in the summer, would be automatically extended via an option. There are also persistent rumors surrounding FCA that the club wants to sign a new goalkeeper for the coming season.
As with the recent 2: 3 of Augsburg at RB Leipzig, Gikiewicz is out with a shoulder injury and will therefore be represented again by Tomas Koubek (30) on Friday evening (8:30 p.m. / DAZN). However, FCA coach Enrico Maassen tried to calm things down in the run-up to the game. So he ruled out a change in the Augsburg goalkeeper hierarchy in the final spurt of the season.
Maignan to Gikiewicz: goalkeepers against whom most penalties are missed
“Rafa is our number one. We saw how important he is to us. But now he is injured. And there’s no point in talking about it any further,” Maassen said. “Rafa has to get well. And when he’s really healthy and fit again, he’ll be back in goal.”
First of all, however, Koubek is the focus again against Stuttgart. “Tomas has done well now and earlier in the season as a substitute. He knows his role. He’s in goal in a very crucial phase of the season,” Maassen said of the Czechs, who have conceded twelve goals in five Bundesliga games so far. FCA have been waiting for a win for five games.
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