FC Ingolstadt before home game against Aue: Now every point counts

FC Ingolstadt 04 goes into matchday 36 of the 3rd league as 15th in the table and hosts FC Erzgebirge Aue, who are second to last. After four defeats in the last five matches, the home game gains additional importance – both athletically and psychologically.

Ingolstadt stands at 43 points after 35 games, with a record of 11 wins, 10 draws, and 14 losses. The 3-0 win at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II recently interrupted the weak run, but overall the form curve remains tense with four defeats from the last five league games.

The starting position before the Aue game

On Sunday, May 3, 2026, FC Ingolstadt 04 will host FC Erzgebirge Aue at 7:30 p.m. The match is relevant for both teams at the bottom of the table. Ingolstadt is in 15th place, Aue is in 19th place with 27 points from 35 games and thus in a relegation spot (fixture and table data documented, among others, at news.de).

For Ingolstadt, it is about stabilizing the gap to the bottom and confirming the success from Hoffenheim. With 43 points, FCI is in the lower midfield, not directly tied to the bottom of the table, but low enough that every result significantly changes the situation: Another win would noticeably reduce the pressure before the last two matchdays – another defeat, on the other hand, would unnecessarily open up the final phase.

Aue arrives as a team that has only won five times all season (5 wins, 12 draws, 18 losses; 42:65 goals). For Ingolstadt, this is a signal that the match is not a foregone conclusion, but a game in which their own stability must make the difference.

A win in Hoffenheim, before that four defeats

The recent results explain the special importance of the home game. On April 25, Ingolstadt won 3-0 at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II, securing their only win from the last five league games. Before that, there were four defeats in a row: 0-1 against VfL Osnabrück, 1-4 at Rot-Weiss Essen, 1-2 against Viktoria Köln, and 0-1 at 1. FC Saarbrücken.

The away win in Hoffenheim stands out especially because it came after a phase in which Ingolstadt was often in the game but did not reward themselves. Three points from five matches is too little for a team in 15th place to move away from the relegation zone early. The home game against Aue thus becomes a litmus test: Was the 3-0 a turning point – or just a single moment of relief without lasting effect?

What the season record says about Ingolstadt

After 35 matchdays, Ingolstadt has scored 55 goals and conceded 49, with a goal difference of plus six. This speaks for a team that is basically capable of shaping games offensively – and yet has too often dropped points. The discrepancy between a positive goal difference and 15th place in the table suggests that the fundamental quality was not the problem, but rather consistency: Phases in which goals were scored were offset by games in which small mistakes or close results made the difference.

That Ingolstadt was also able to achieve clear results this season is shown by the most notable results: the biggest home win (4-1 against SSV Ulm 1846 Fußball) and the biggest away win, also the highest-scoring game (6-2 at TSV Havelse). This is exactly where the sporting task lies before the Aue game: The team must secure its offensive performance so that it does not slip back into the narrow result zone, where a conceded goal immediately becomes a problem.

After the game against Aue, two more scheduled matches follow: on May 9 away at TSV 1860 Munich (2:00 p.m.) and on May 16 at home against SV Waldhof Mannheim (1:30 p.m.). All the more important is the current task in their own stadium: With a home win, Ingolstadt can not only improve their position in the table, but also work out a clearer starting position before a demanding final stretch.

For Ingolstadt, the home game against the 19th in the table is a directly relevant duel in the lower part of the table. The starting position is clear: After the breakthrough in Hoffenheim, the team must now follow up at home.