In their quest to close the four-point gap at the top of the Bundesliga table, reigning champions Bayern Munich will travel to the WWK Arena to face Augsburg on Saturday afternoon.
These two teams last met on matchday two in August last year, with Bayern securing a 3-1 home victory.
Match Preview
Augsburg ended their four-game winless streak in the Bundesliga with a remarkable come-from-behind 2-1 away win against Borussia Monchengladbach last weekend.
After trailing at halftime, Augsburg turned the game around with two quick goals in the opening minutes of the second half, scored by Phillip Tietz and Arne Engels.
With this win, Augsburg has now earned 15 points from losing positions this season, the highest in the Bundesliga. They currently sit 10th in the table, 10 points clear of the relegation zone and seven points away from the top six.
Augsburg has been performing well at home lately, despite some challenging fixtures. They drew 1-1 with Borussia Dortmund and suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen in their last two matches at the WWK Arena.
They’ll need to raise their level once again as they face Bayern this Saturday and RB Leipzig in two weeks’ time.
In recent meetings with Bayern, Augsburg has managed to earn points in three of their last four home matches against the Bavarians, winning the last two encounters with an aggregate score of 3-1. This gives them reason to be optimistic for Saturday’s match.
Bayern Munich, on the other hand, bounced back from a surprising 1-0 defeat against Werder Bremen with a hard-fought 1-0 win against Union Berlin on Wednesday night.
Raphael Guerreiro scored the only goal of the game early in the second half, helping Bayern secure their 14th league victory of the season. They now sit four points behind unbeaten leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
After facing criticism from coach Thomas Tuchel following the loss to Bremen, rumors circulated that Tuchel’s job was at risk. However, Bayern has confirmed that they have no plans to part ways with the coach during the season.
Bayern will now shift their focus to the upcoming match against Augsburg. In their previous three meetings with Augsburg, Bayern has emerged victorious with an impressive aggregate score of 13-6, including a thrilling 5-2 DFB-Pokal victory in their last visit to the WWK Arena in October 2022.
Augsburg Bundesliga form: W L D L L W
Bayern Munich Bundesliga form: L W W W L W
Bayern Munich form (all competitions): W W D W L W
Team News
Augsburg will be without Raphael Framberger (knee) and Reece Oxford (illness), while Niklas Dorsch (groin) and Sven Michel (illness) are doubtful and will undergo assessment before kickoff.
Kristijan Jakic, who made his debut as a substitute in the last game, will be pushing for a starting spot in midfield, potentially replacing Fredrik Jensen.
Ermedin Demirovic, who has been influential with 14 goal contributions this season, is expected to lead the attack alongside Tietz. Dion Drena Beljo, who scored against Bayern in their previous encounter, will be available as a substitute.
For Bayern Munich, Dayot Upamecano and Konrad Laimer suffered injuries in their last match and are set to be sidelined for several weeks. Serge Gnabry, Daniel Peretz, Tarek Buchmann, and Bouna Sarr are still out with injuries.
Noussair Mazraoui and Kim Min-jae are on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup, respectively.
In the absence of Laimer, Joshua Kimmich is likely to start at right-back, with Guerreiro moving into midfield and Alphonso Davies returning at left-back. Eric Dier is expected to make his full debut at center-back alongside Matthijs de Ligt, filling in for Upamecano.
Possible Starting Lineups:
Augsburg: (4-3-1-2)
Dahmen;
Mbabu, Gouweleeuw, Uduokhai, Iago;
Engels, Rexhbecaj, Jensen;
Vargas;
Demirovic, Tietz
Bayern Munich: (4-2-3-1)
Neuer;
Kimmich, Dier, De Ligt, Davies;
Goretzka, Guerreiro;
Coman, Musiala, Sane;
Kane
Prediction: Augsburg 1-2 Bayern Munich
Augsburg’s recent home record against Bayern is encouraging, but their inability to keep clean sheets in their last 21 games raises concerns when facing a Bayern side that has scored in their last 21 Bundesliga away matches.
While Augsburg has the potential to frustrate Bayern, it is likely that Tuchel’s men will dominate the game at the WWK Arena and secure another important victory.