RB Leipzig will look to continue the recent winning run and keep up with the Bundesliga leaders when they host FC Augsburg at the Red Bull Arena on Saturday.
The 2023/24 Bundesliga season will resume this week with Matchday 4, with the top-of-the-table clash between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen kicking things off on Friday. The action on Saturday will begin with five simultaneous fixtures, with RB Leipzig welcoming FC Augsburg to the Red Bull Arena in one of those games.
RB Leipzig began the 2023/24 season by cruising to a 3-0 win over Bayern Munich in the DFL-Supercup. But the Bundesliga campaign did not begin as well as they would have liked, with Bayer Leverkusen beating them 3-2. But Marco Rose’s men have bounced back with back-to-back wins to climb into the top four.
On the other hand, FC Augsburg began the 2023/24 season with a 2-0 defeat in the DFB-Pokal against SpVgg Unterhaching. And the visitors are still looking for their first win of the Bundesliga campaign, losing 3-1 to Bayern Munich on Matchday 2 while playing out stalemates with Borussia Monchengladbach and VfL Bochum.
The corresponding fixture last season saw RB Leipzig come back from a goal down to beat FC Augsburg 3-2, with Timo Werner scoring a match-winning brace. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
RB Leipzig
🗣️ RB Leipzig head coach Marco Rose:
"Peter Gulácsi will be back in the squad for the first time this season tomorrow! He's trained well over the last four weeks. It's a great feeling to have our vice-captain back. We're heading into the next few weeks feeling optimistic, even… pic.twitter.com/NlSprSd1uu
— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) September 15, 2023
Marco Rose has greeted a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against FC Augsburg on Saturday, the RB Leipzig manager might be without four first-team players.
The good news is that Peter Gulacsi will be in the matchday squad after recovering from a knee injury. But the RB Leipzig vice-captain will not return to the starting eleven straightaway, with Janis Blaswich retaining his spot in the goal. The hosts will line up in a 4-2-2-2 formation in front of him.
Meanwhile, Willi Orban and Dani Olmo picked up knee injuries during the international break. The duo has joined El Chadaille Bitshiabu (knee) and Christoph Baumgartner (muscle injury) on the sidelines.
Mohamed Simakan and Lukas Klostermann should form the central defensive partnership, with Benjamin Henrichs and David Raum being the full-backs. The quartet will be defensive-minded in their approach, with the four attackers having the freedom to create overloads in the final third.
As for the midfield unit, Xaver Schlager and Kevin Kampl will likely form the double pivot. The duo will look to shore up things in the middle of the park while enabling quick transitions. Xavi Simons and Yussuf Poulsen should play behind the strikers, having the freedom to make ghosting runs. Finally, Lois Openda and Benjamin Sesko will be the two strikers for Leipzig against Augsburg.
Probable Lineup (4-2-2-2): Blaswich; Henrichs, Simakan, Klostermann, Raum; Schlager, Kampl; Simons, Poulsen; Openda, Sesko
FC Augsburg
Like his counterpart in the RB Leipzig dugout, Enrico Maassen has a few injusy concerns hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to the Red Bull Arena. The FC Augsburg manager might be without as many as seven first-team players on Saturday.
Deadline-day signing Japhet Tanganga (knee) has Masaya Okugawa (knee) and Sven Michel (groin) on the sidelines. Otherwise, the visiting team will have a full-strength squad, with many players regaining fitness during the international break.
(On Stefan Reuter’s new role)
"Stefan informed us, the coaching staff, in advance. I'm glad that he continues to support me as an advisor. We have a very close and good relationship.” pic.twitter.com/7epZJabSc8
— FC Augsburg (@FCA_World) September 14, 2023
Finn Dahmen will feature between the sticks on Saturday, with RB Leipzig lining up in a 4-2-2-2 formation in front of him. The backline will consist of Maximilian Bauer, Felix Uduokhai, Mads Pedersen, and Arne Engels. As for the midfield unit, Elvis Rexhbecaj and Niklas Dorsch should form a defensive-minded pairing.
But Rexhbecaj will also initiate quick transitions, linking up the midfield with the attack. Ruben Vargas and Ermedin Demirovic should play behind the two strikers, who should be Dion Beljo and Phillip Tietz.
Probable Lineup (4-2-2-2): Dahmen; Engels, Bauer, Uduokhai, Pedersen; Rexhbecaj, Dorsch; Vargas, Demirovic; Beljo, Tietz
Key Stats
- FC Augsburg have won just one of their 14 Bundesliga meetings with RB Leipzig (D5 L8) — a 1-0 win at home in September 2017. Away from home, they are yet to win their seven top-flight games against Leipzig (D1 L6). At no other club’s home ground do they have such a low points-per-game on the road in the Bundesliga as at the Red Bull Arena (0.14).
- RB Leipzig have won seven of their last eight games. Their only Bundesliga defeat came at the start of the season at Bayer Leverkusen (2-3). No team has amassed more points than them in the same period (21, same as Bayern Munich).
- FC Augsburg have won only one of their last 14 Bundesliga matches (D6 L7) — 1-0 at home against Union Berlin in early May. For the sixth time, Augsburg have been winless in their first three games of a Bundesliga season (D2 L1) since their promotion to the top flight in 2011.
- FC Augsburg have been waiting for a win in 14 away games in the Bundesliga (D3 L11) — a new club record in the top flight. Their last victory on the road in the Bundesliga came in October 2022 against Schalke (3-2). No other Bundesliga club has waited as long for an away win than them.
- FC Augsburg have scored seven goals in their first three Bundesliga games this season — a new club record. At 71%, they have the best big chance conversion rate of all teams in the first three matchdays.
Player to Watch
Benjamin Sesko
With Dani Olmo on the sidelines, other attackers will need to take on the responsibility to deliver the goods in the final third. So, Benjamin Sesko comes on the radar after making a strong start to life as an RB Leipzig player.
The Slovenian international has been in fine form in the last few weeks. He also had a memorable international break with his national side. Meanwhile, Sesko’s performance has attracted clubs like Real Madrid and Chelsea. And a game-changing performance in the coming weeks will likely add to the ever-growing queue of suitors.
Prediction
RB Leipzig 3-1 FC Augsburg
Saturday’s fixture at the Red Bull Arena pits two prolific teams against each other. RB Leipzig (10) and FC Augsburg (7) have been productive in the final third thus far this season. So, a goal-fest might be on the cards this weekend.
However, the visitors have a porous defence, which should play into RB Leipzig’s hands. And Marco Silva’s men might run riot at home this weekend. The Hard Tackle thus predicts both teams to get onto the scoresheet, with the hosts clinching a 3-1 win.