Bournemouth will continue their pre-season schedule against Augsburg in Austria on Thursday, with both sides using the friendly as a final tune-up before the real work begins.
The timing gives the match its edge. Bournemouth are building towards their Premier League opener against Manchester City on August 23, while Augsburg are already eyeing a DFB-Pokal tie against Energie Cottbus one day earlier, on August 22. For Manuel Baum, the game comes with the added significance of a second spell in charge that has already taken him through 22 matches and into a new season with more pressure than preparation.
That background matters because Augsburg are not treating this as a routine summer run-out. Baum first took over on an interim basis in December, then went on to oversee nine wins, six draws and seven defeats in 22 games to steer the club to ninth place. He is now working with a group that has been strengthened by seven additions, including permanent arrivals Michael Gregoritsch and Rodrigo Ribeiro after their loan spells. The club have also already started their summer with a 1-1 draw against Saarbrucken, a reminder that this phase is about building rhythm as much as results.
Bournemouth arrive with a different kind of momentum. Andoni Iraola’s final season ended with a sixth-place finish and Europa League qualification, before he departed for Liverpool and Marco Rose took over the task of carrying that work forward. Alvaro Rodriguez is the only new face in the squad at this stage, and Bournemouth followed their win over St. Pauli on Friday with another step through Austria’s training camp. The schedule is tight, but the purpose is clear: get ready quickly, because the season is already closing in.
There is, though, one selection issue hanging over Augsburg’s side. Chrislain is unlikely to feature amid rumours that he is close to a move to Crystal Palace, which leaves Baum balancing his new additions against an uncertain summer. If he does miss out, Augsburg could still line up with Noahkai Banks, Jeffrey Gouweleeuw and Calvin Brackelmann in a back three, with Rodrigo Ribeiro likely to lead the line and Uchenna Ogundu sharing minutes. After Thursday, Augsburg move on to Schwaz, Sassuolo and Leeds United, while Bournemouth’s focus tightens on Manchester City. That makes this friendly less a standalone summer fixture than a marker of how little time either club has left before the real season starts.
