Aubameyang – I backed myself for hat-trick

Borussia Dortmund strike Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang says he backed himself to earn another three-goal haul before the 5-1 hammering of Augsburg on Sunday.

The Gabon international opened the scoring midway through a dominant first half, before adding two more late on after a Marco Reus brace.

It marked a second hat-trick in four days for Aubameyang after netting all Dortmund’s goals in the 3-1 Europa League win over Qabala on Thursday.

And the striker told the club’s official website he was always confident of repeating that feat.

“Yesterday I made a kind of bet with my family that I would score three goals,” he said after Sunday’s win.

“It’s nice that it worked, but much more important that we got the three points.”

Aubameyang’s latest success brings him level with Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski on 13 Bundsliga goals, but the 26-year old has played down any comparisons between the two.

“At the moment I think Robert [Lewandowski] is one of the best strikers on the planet. Of course I try to be as good, but I do not want to compare him with me.”

Head coach Thomas Tuchel was full of praise for Aubameyang, telling reporters after the game: “He [Aubameyang] is an absolute team player, he gives a lot in the team and get a lot back. That’s great.

While rightly impressed by his side’s attacking prowess on Sunday, Tuchel was keen to stress the contribution of his defence.

“Of course I am very satisfied. We created many chances, but we also know what we had to defend it. And all after a gruelling trip [to Azerbaijan].

“We chose a very courageous defence approach, because we knew how good they [Augsburg] can be when they are allowed to play.”