Overview

• Medical checks on Wednesday confirmed an interior ligament tear in Jeffrey Gouweleeuw’s right knee after he felt pain on Saturday and aborted training on Tuesday.
• The 34-year-old was substituted in the 67th minute of the 1–4 home defeat to Mainz and is expected to be sidelined for multiple weeks.
• According to BILD, an MRI showed no operation is planned and his absence could run at least to the mid-October international break.
• Wagner is set to reorganize the defense, with Keven Schlotterbeck likely returning to the XI, Cedric Zesiger under scrutiny, and 18-year-old academy talent Noakhai Banks a candidate for minutes.
• Gouweleeuw has 277 competitive appearances for Augsburg, is chasing the 300-match mark, and previously returned quickly from hand fractures earlier this year; his contract runs until next summer.