Kompany relishing derby test against Augsburg
Vincent Kompany is excited for Bayern Munich's derby against Augsburg and expects a tough test after its opponent's flying start to the Bundesliga season.
Augsburg currently sits fourth on the table with seven points, having seen its unbeaten start ended by a 3-2 loss to Werder Bremen before the international break.
It is just three points behind Bayern, which is still unbeaten after three wins and a draw, although the champion is not top of the pile after four games, sitting behind Borussia Dortmund.
This is the first of nine fixtures in all competitions between the two international breaks for Bayern, but Kompany is relishing the challenges ahead of his side in the coming weeks, starting with Augsburg.
"It's a very important match; we lost one Bundesliga game last year, and that was against Augsburg," Kompany said.
"It's still a derby, and it's an away fixture. What sets Augsburg apart is that they're very compact and can be very dangerous on the ball.
"They've got a lot of individual qualities – more than people sometimes realise. They've made a flying start to the season. It's a derby; the fans are looking forward to it, and so are we.
"We've got the squad for it [the busy schedule]. We want to go into every match with 100 per cent conviction.
"I'd rather play every three days than have a long break. The players want to play anyway. We have to beat Magdeburg in the cup – it's like a final. But we also want to put in convincing performances in all the other competitions."
Bayern will be without Jamal Musiala for the trip to Augsburg as he continues to recover from a small muscle tear.
It is another setback for Musiala in a season that has already been stop-start, but Kompany is confident he will come back even stronger than before.
"I can relate to his story of setbacks; I've experienced that often in my own career," Kompany said of Musiala.
"Coming back from that is a great strength. I hope he can happily go on playing over the next few years. But when you make a strong comeback, it's something that stays with you for life.
"The team is always delighted when he scores goals. He'll keep doing that, no doubt about it."
