Bayern Munich will seek to keep up with Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen when they travel to Augsburg on Saturday
Bayer Leverkusen have laid down the Bundesliga gauntlet and the onus is now on defending champions Bayern Munich to respond. They travel to Augsburg, a venue that has failed to bring Die Roten much joy over the last few years.
In fact, Bayern have lost their last two trips to the WWK Arena. With a four-point gap to bridge at the top of the table, Thomas Tuchel will be keen to end that hoodoo this time around.
Jess Thorup’s side is comfortable in mid-table and could push on should they claim all three points on Saturday. While a top-six finish would be too much to ask, Augsburg are capable of finishing in the top half of the table if they can put some positive results together.
Augsburg ended their four-game wait for a win when they defeated Borussia Monchengladbach last time out. They will hope that home support can now see them pull off another shock. Despite their defensive frailties, Augsburg have shown steel, picking up 15 points from losing positions this season, the most of any side in the Bundesliga.
The VWK Arena is a difficult place to go to. Augsburg held Borussia Dortmund to a 1-1 draw while Levekusen had to rely on a last-gasp winner to secure all three points. Bayern are heavy favourites going into the match but could be there for the taking should Augsburg get their tails up.
On paper, Bayern go into the tie as favourites but it promises to be a first night out at Augsburg. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
FC Augsburg
#Thorup: „Niklas #Dorsch hat voll trainiert – wenn er das Abschlusstraining ebenfalls voll mitmachen kann, dann ist er natürlich eine Option gegen die Bayern!“ #FCAFCB
👉 Im #FCA TV: https://t.co/3MoPMO3ZzC pic.twitter.com/KL5Dhqo1dH
— FC Augsburg (@FCAugsburg) January 25, 2024
Augsburg ended their run of four games without a win by defeating Borussia Monchengladbach last time out. They will now hope to move into the top half of the table with yet another upset against Bayern.
Thorup’s men will be without Raphael Framberger and Reece Oxford who are nursing a knee injury and an illness respectively. Sven Michel is also ill while Niklas Dorsch is suffering from a groin injury. Both players are a doubt for the game and will face a late fitness test to undermine their roles for the night.
A 4-3-3 formation appears to be the solution for the night with Finn Dahmen in goal. He should be protected by the back four of Kevin Mbabu, Jeffrey Gouweleeuw, Felix Uduokhai and Iago. The centre-backs will need to be at their absolute best to keep Harry Kane silent.
Elvis Rexhbecaj will hold the fort in the middle of the park with Arne Engels and Fredrik Jensen for support. The trio will aim to give Ruben Vargas the platform to push forward. Despite starting as a 4-3-3, Augsburg can revert to a four-man box midfield and keep things narrow.
Phillip Tietz and Ermedin Demirovic are likely to be entrusted with leading the line and will hope to catch Eric Dier off guard.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Dahmen; Mbabu, Gouweleeuw, Uduokhai, Iago; Engels, Rexhbecaj, Jensen; Vargas; Demirovic, Tietz
Bayern Munich
Bayern defeated Union Berlin last time, recovering following their shock home loss to Wolfsburg. Tuchel’s side have a four-point gap to close and with Bayer Leverkusen looking near on imperious, they cannot afford to slip any further.
The defending champions will be without Noussair Mazraoui and Kim Min-jae, both of whom are away at the African Cup of Nations and the Asia Cup respectively. Serge Gnabry, Daniel Peretz, Bouna Sarr and Tarek Buchmann are also unavailable as they recover from injuries.
Injuries to Dayot Upamecano and Konrad Laimer will further force Tuchel’s hand given that Bayern are playing their second game in four days. He is likely to retain the trademark 4-2-3-1 formation while rotating his players where possible.
Back at Säbener preparing for the weekend 💪#MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/Z9DvhCGZFV
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) January 25, 2024
Manuel Neuer should start in goal with Joshua Kimiich slotting in at right-back. January signing Eric Dier should start at the heart of the defence alongside Mathijs de Ligt. Alphonso Davies will complete the four-man rearguard by slotting in on the left.
Raphaël Guerreiro should partner Leon Goretzka as the double pivot, leaving Kingsley Coman, Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sane the freedom to push forward. Harry Kane will start upfront in what is proving to be an excellent debut campaign in the Bundesliga.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Kimmich, Dier, De Ligt, Davies; Goretzka, Guerreiro; Coman, Musiala, Sane; Kane
Key Stats
- Bayern Munich have lost their previous two trips to FC Augsburg.
- Bayern Munich have 44 points after 18 games this season in the Bundesliga. No club in the second spot has managed as many points as Die Roten at this stage of a Bundesliga campaign ever before.
- Bayern Munich have scored 53 goals in their 18 games so far this season, the most of any side in the German top flight this season. Only once has a team scored more at this stage in Bundesliga history -57 goals in 2021/22.
- Bayern Munich have managed nine clean sheets in the Bundesliga this season, the most of any side in the German top flight.
- Augsburg have failed to keep a clean sheet in 21 Bundesliga games now, the longest such run in German football presently.
- Bayern Munich average 20 shots in the Bundesliga this season, the most of any team in the top flight. At the same time, only Borussia Monchengladbach (17) concede more shots on average than Augsburg (16) in the German top flight.
- Augsburg have won 15 points from losing positions in the Bundesliga this season, more than any other team in the division.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
The English skipper already has 22 goals in the top division this season and has added some much-needed dynamism to the Bayern frontline. Bayern create bucketloads of chances while Augsbug are far from solid at the back. All this points to a successful night out for the former Tottenham Hotspur man.
Kane has now failed to score in two Bundesliga games in a row. This is the first time that has happened in Bayern colours, something he will be keen to rectify this weekend.
Prediction
Augsburg 1-3 Bayern Munich
Bayern are far from their best and have been poor visitors to Augsburg in recent times. However, given what is at stake and the difference in quality between the two sides, Die Roten are the heavy favourites. It is unlikely to be easy but Bayern should com away with a 3-1 win on the night.
