As the Bundesliga title race reaches its climax, Borussia Dortmund will hope to beat Augsburg on Sunday as they look to keep their hopes of unseating leaders Bayern Munich from their perennial throne.
The Bundesliga title race is all set to go down to the wire, with just one point separating Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich ahead of the final two games of the season. And Borussia Dortmund will travel to Bavaria on Sunday to take on FC Augsburg.
The Black and Yellows were hoping for a favour from Marco Rose and RB Leipzig a day before that, who locked horns with Bayern Munich. With Leipzig beating the reigning champions, a victory over Augsburg will take Dortmund ahead in the Bundesliga title race heading into the final day of the season.
Borussia Dortmund come into the game off the back of dominant victories over Wolfsburg and Borussia Monchengladbach. However, they have dropped points in each of their last four away assignments. Can the title contenders improve their form on the road to edge out Augsburg on Sunday?
FC Augsburg, meanwhile, are not in the greatest of form, having won only once in their last four games and coming off a 3-2 defeat against fellow strugglers Bochum. They are currently four points ahead of 16th place in the Bundesliga table. So they still have work cut out for them against title-chasing Dortmund, who are also in a must-win scenario, even though with a different objective.
While it will be a tall order for Augsburg to get a positive result out of this fixture, they have already beaten the likes of Bayern Munich and Union Berlin this season and will look to offer a tough test to BVB on Sunday, just like in the reverse fixture, where they went toe-to-toe against Dortmund in a 4-3 defeat.
Team News & Tactics
FC Augsburg
Das Quartett wird am Sonntag vor Anpfiff offiziell verabschiedet. So erhalten alle #FCA-Fans die Möglichkeit, die Spieler mit dem verdienten Applaus zu würdigen!
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— FC Augsburg (@FCAugsburg) May 19, 2023
Augsburg will also be without the services of a number of key players this Sunday. Rafal Gikiewicz (shoulder), Iago, Andre Hahn (knee), Julian Baumgartlinger (knee), Ruben Vargas (ankle), and Tobias Strobl (ACL) are all dealing with injuries, while Arne Maier (hamstring) is a doubt. Robert Gumny and Arne Engels are set to return to the squad for Enrico Maaßen’s side following their respective suspensions.
Maaßen could continue with his 3-4-3 formation. 21-year-old Croatian centre-forward Dion Drena Beljo is set to spearhead the attack, having produced four goal contributions in his last four matches as he has chipped in with two assists and goals apiece.
The young striker will get support from wingers Mergim Berisha, and Ermedin Demirovic, who have both scored a combined 17 Bundesliga goals between them this term, and the in-form strike force as a whole will shoulder the hosts’ majority of goal-scoring burden and will pose a serious attacking threat to Dortmund in transitions.
Maier’s absence means Ruben Vargas could receive a start on the right flank, while Mads Pedersen remains a guaranteed option on the opposite flank. The wing-backs could look to operate as pacy runners behind the backline as Augsburg looks to breach the Dortmund defence on the counter.
It could be just as important for the two central midfielders, Niklas Dorsch and Elvis Rexhbecaj, to play those precise through balls into the channels. More importantly, the two will be tasked with the responsibility of stopping supply to Dortmund’s attack from the middle of the park and denying the ball carriers space to run into in the final third in transition, especially Jude Bellingham, if he’s fit to start.
It could go a long way in helping the back three, consisting of Maximilian Bauer, Jeffrey Gouweleeuw, and Felix Uduokhai, as they look to offer protection for Tomas Koubek in between the sticks.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Koubek; Bauer, Gouweleeuw, Uduokhai; Caligiuri, Dorsch, Rexhbecaj, Pedersen; Berisha, Beljo, Demirovic
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic is sweating over the fitness of star midfielder Jude Bellingham, who is a major doubt for the trip to Augsburg. The England international sustained a knee injury during last weekend’s victory over Borussia Monchengladbach. And it remains to be seen if he will be able to recover in time for Sunday’s game.
Otherwise, there are no new injury concerns for Borussia Dortmund, but Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Julien Duranville, Mateu Morey, and Thomas Meunier are all sidelined at the moment.
Terzic is likely to stick to his 4-2-3-1, with Mats Hummels and Niklas Sule forming the central defensive partnership in front of goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. Marius Wolf is also expected to keep his spot on the right side of the back four.
On the road tomorrow 👊 pic.twitter.com/7t7znz6H01
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) May 20, 2023
Having said that, Terzic could make a change at full-back as Raphael Guerreiro pushes for a starting spot ahead of Julian Ryerson, while midfielder Salih Ozcan provides an additional option in central midfield to slot alongside Emre Can should Jude Bellingham fail to prove his match fitness.
The vibrant attacking quartet of Donyell Malen, Sebastien Haller, and Karim Adeyemi are set to be unleashed upon Augsburg here, with creator-in-chief Julian Brandt playing just behind striker Haller as a number ten as he did against last time out.
Dutch attacker Donyell Malen, for one, is enduring a stunning late-season purple patch, and the forward’s goal against Gladbach last weekend was his eighth in as many Bundesliga outings. The 24-year-old looks like getting on the scoresheet whenever he gets out onto a pitch at the moment, and Malen’s finishing skills look sharp ahead of this crucial game.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Wolf, Sule, Hummels, Guerreiro; Ozcan, Can; Malen, Brandt, Adeyemi; Haller
Key Stats
- Augsburg have lost three and drawn one of their last four meetings with Dortmund.
- FC Augsburg have won only one of their last nine matches in the Bundesliga.
- Borussia Dortmund are winless in their last six matches away from home in all competitions, their worst such run since 2018.
- Dortmund have scored at least two goals in nine of their last ten matches in the German top flight.
- Borussia Dortmund are undefeated in their last six Bundesliga matches.
Player to Watch
Karim Adeyemi
Karim Adeyemi has hit the headlines for all the right reasons lately. Borussia Dortmund’s talented attacker has won the 2022/23 Bundesliga Rookie of the Season award, an award fitting of the impressive performances he has put in for Die Schwarzgelben, particularly in the second half of the season.
The Germany international had a slow start at the beginning of the season. However, just like much of this current Dortmund squad, he came to life in the second half of the season. His eye for goal and scintillating pace have made him one of Dortmund’s most potent threats, with Adeyemi chipping in with 12 goal contributions in the league (6 goals, 6 assists).
Adeyemi’s general output for this season and the overall turnaround this year for Die Schwarzgelben bodes well for the youngster, who has made himself at home out wide for Dortmund. He will once again be looking to get on the scoresheet here.
Prediction
FC Augsburg 1-3 Borussia Dortmund
With Bayern Munich playing the day before, Borussia Dortmund will know whether they have a chance to jump to the top of the table with a win. In any case, given their offensive prowess, you’d anticipate them dominating large patches of this match.
The attacking players at their disposal should create plenty of scoring chances to be able to put this game to bed early. And as long as they keep things tight at the other end, winning here should be as good as a foregone conclusion against relegation-threatened opposition. But the visitors have shown some vulnerability on the road where they have gone four games without a win. The Hard Tackle backs Dortmund to come out on top in this one.
