Augsburg will host Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday. When the visitors come in Bavaria, their goal will be to recover from a string of losses.
Preview (Augsburg vs. Wolfsburg)
Augsburg had already lost two games in a row before the international break. Last weekend’s 2-0 setback to Heidenheim put them on track for a third straight loss. Even though Phillip Tietz had pulled one back, Mads Pedersen and Ermedin Demirovic scored goals within a minute of each other to help Josh Thorup’s team overcome the deficit before the halftime siren even sounded. After the half, the hosts put a lot of pressure on Fuggerstadter. Goals from Felix Uduokhai and Elvis Rexhbecaj dispelled any lingering worries for the team. They recorded just their second league victory of the year and rose to tenth place.
Although Thorup’s team is only one spot behind their next opponents in the standings ahead of their match on Saturday at the Augsburg Arena, they are unable to pass them and go into the top half due to the four-point difference between the two teams. In any case, the Danish coach and his team will be hoping to gain ground. Wolfsburg, on the other hand, will be happy to be playing against a club lower in the standings. They suffered defeats to the current top two teams in the league before the international break.
Stuttgart was too strong for the Wolves, as has been the case for the majority of clubs this season. Serhou Guirassy continued his scorching run in front of goal with a hat-trick in the second half. The team led by Niko Kovac managed to lose their most recent game narrowly. Maxime Lacroix’s attempt to stop Jeremie Frimpong’s early goal gave the Wolves a chance to respond. Frimpong’s opposite wing-back Alex Grimaldo scored a brilliant goal shortly after the hour mark. In the end, this was enough for Xabi Alonso’s team to hold onto all three points.
Team News
Dion Drena Beljo is the most likely contender to take Tietz’s position in the attack after the 26-year-old sustained a muscular injury during the victory against Heidenheim the previous weekend. Augsburg may be obliged to make this substitution. Ruben Vargas, Kevin Mbabu, Reece Oxford, Raphael Framberger, and Japhet Tanganga will already be missing due to injury, therefore it is unlikely that Thorup will make any other changes to a winning team. Luke Nmecha, on the other hand, will not be playing for Wolfsburg until after the winter break because of a knee injury. He had surgery to address the problem.
For identical reasons, Kilian Fischer is also out, while Koen Casteels, Rogerio, Vaclav Cerny, and Felix Lange might not make it. Last time out, Kovac changed to a back three against Leverkusen, but this was probably done to line up with Alonso’s team’s formation. This way, Lovro Majer could take the place of Sebastian Bornauw, giving the visitors more midfield control.
Although Augsburg had a poor start under Thorup, their victory against Heidenheim last weekend probably gave them newfound confidence, although injuries still seem to be a problem for them. Therefore, it would surprise us if Wolfsburg lost three straight games, but they might only be able to get a valuable point away from home.
Augsburg 1 – 1 Wolfsburg
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