Jonathan Schmid: "It will be a hard-fought battle"

You moved to FC Augsburg this summer. How have your first six months at the club gone?

Jonathan Schmid: I’m really pleased with how my first six months have gone. The team are great and they welcomed me really warmly. I feel really at home here and I have already made a few appearances for the club.

Under new coach Manuel Baum you have picked up four points from two games, how much can that be attributed to him?

Schmid: Manuel knew from the beginning what he wanted to do and in a short space of time he has already given us a lot to think about. That has definitely helped to bring us the success we had before the winter break.

To prepare for the second half of the season you trained in Spain. Did everything go to plan?

Schmid: Absolutely, the conditions there were perfect and we could basically train whenever we wanted. We became closer and as a team and now we want to come back strongly from the break.

It’s pretty cold back in Germany. How are you going to adapt to the change back to minus temperatures?

Schmid: Obviously compared to Spain it is very cold right now, therefore it is important to keep moving during training to make sure you warm up again as quickly as possible.

TSG are currently in fifth place. Did you think your former teammates were capable of that when you left the club in the summer?

Schmid: I definitely knew they could do it. Julian Nagelsmann is a very good coach and I’m happy for everyone at the club that they’ve had this success.

Are you still in contact with people at Hoffenheim and if so, who?

Schmid: I’m still in touch with Ermin Bicakcic and Nadiem Amiri. We get on very well.

What are you expecting from the game on Saturday?

Schmid: I’m expecting a hard-fought game but we are well-prepared and want to start the New Year with a win. It’s clear that is not going to be easy. I hope that our fans will create a good atmosphere despite the cold temperatures.

Match facts and statistics »