Two clubs, two managers, one history

Markus Weinzierl was made the manager at Augsburg on July 1st 2012. The news was revealed a few weeks earlier after the Straubing-born coach earned promotion into the second division with SSV Jahn Regensburg. That meant that that a Bundesliga club was putting their trust in someone who had never managed in the second division before, never mind the top flight. Many experts felt his failure was already a sure thing.

Markus Gisdol took over the reigns in the Kraichgau on April 2nd 2013. He too had never managed a team in the top two tiers of German football before, although he did have Bundesliga and Champions League experience as an assistant at Schalke 04. At the time, TSG were 17th in the table. The gap to 15th was nine points. Weinzierl's Augsburg side sat one spot above Hoffenheim with 24 points, four more than Gisdol's men.

Relegation avoided

Weinzierl had already been in charge for ten months at that point. After picking up just nine points in the first half of the season, his team changed their fortunes after the winter break, up until April at least. TSG and Augsburg were direct rivals in the battle for safety. We all know how the story ends. Gisdol's team managed to avoid relegation via a play-off win against Kaiserslautern, while Weinzierl's men finished in 15th to ensure their safety.

TSG sit 12th in the table ahead of this Saturday's encounter, with Augsburg this time one spot below. Both teams have 13 points to their name, with Hoffenheim's goal record at 28:28 and FCA's in the negative at 13:23.

Small dips in form

Gisdol and Weinzierl have established themselves in the league. TSG are causing a stir with their attacking football, while Augsburg's manager is making headlines like “The steep rise of Markus Weinzierl” (tz) or “The worker with his feet on the ground” (Tagesspiegel).

Similarities won't play a role on Saturday, although the two managers will certainly have the same aim of claiming three points. Recent games haven't quite gone their way: Hoffenheim have picked up just four points from their last five matches, with Augsburg managing one less – both dips in form. Regardless of who comes out on top, everything is on a level playing field ahead of the match, including the leaders in the dugout.

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