Top-four chasing RB Leipzig will look to secure back-to-back wins in the German top flight for the first time in 2024 when they travel to the WWK Arena to face Augsburg on Saturday.
After three defeats in a row since their return after the winter break, RB Leipzig got back on track with a comfortable 2-0 win over struggling Union Berlin ahead of the trip to Augsburg. Benjamin Sesko and Openda scored the two goals for Marco Rose’s side in the match.
The visitors will know that it is important to build on the good performance from the home game against Union Berlin and get three more important points in the race for the Champions League places.
Augsburg are currently 12th in the Bundesliga table, having picked up 22 points so far. The cushion to 16th place and the relegation zone is already a solid seven points. So, the prospect of survival appear good at this point in time, and they could look to push upwards.
However, the hosts have won only one of the last seven Bundesliga games. But they have also played against the current top four in the table during this period. They managed to win a point against Borussia Dortmund (1-1); the games against Bayer Leverkusen (0-1) and Bayern Munich (2-3) were only narrow defeats, while they suffered humiliation only against VfB Stuttgart (0-3).
They recorded a 1-1 road draw against VfL Bochum in their last match on February 3, with in-form Ermedin Demirovic scoring his team’s only goal in the match.
Team News and Tactics
FC Augsburg
FC Augsburg are dealing with two long-term absences. Right-back Raphael Framberger has been sidelined for more than six months due to a torn cruciate ligament. The absentee period is even longer for central defender Reece Oxford, who has been prevented from making an appearance for ten months due to a case of long-term COVID.
Midfielder Niklas Dorsch is currently having to sit out due to persistent groin problems, and attacker Dion Beljo has a muscle injury. Both are out for Saturday’s match.
Augsburg have bolstered their midfield in the winter. Kristijan Jakic arrived on loan from league rivals Eintracht Frankfurt. With his aggressive play style, the 26-year-old secured a regular spot in front of the defence almost straightaway. He should also bring more stability to the defence with the help of Niklas Dorsch.
Although he is still waiting for his first game without conceding a goal, Finn Dahmen has been a reliable presence in the Augsburg goal, having established himself as the starting goalkeeper. Jeffrey Gouweleeuw has become a real pillar of the team again alongside highly-rated Felix Uduokhai, so much so that Augsburg extended the 32-year-old’s stay for another year in January.
Striker Ermedin Demirovic is expected to play a significant role in Augsburg’s attack, as he has scored three goals in his past two games, bringing his season total to ten.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Dahmen; Mbabu, Gouweleeuw, Uduokhai, Iago; Jensen, Jakic, Dorsch, Rexhbecaj; Tietz, Demirovic
RB Leipzig
Marco Rose has been greeted with positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against FC Augsburg on Saturday, Rose will have a full-strength squad of players to choose from this weekend, as Amadou Haidara is back after Mali’s elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations, and Mohamed Simakan has served his one-match suspension.
RB Leipzig vice captain Peter Gulacsi was recalled to the starting eleven against Union Berlin after three successive defeats and could continue in place of Janis Blaswich in the goal. The visitors will line up in a 4-2-2-2 formation in front of him.
Willi Orban, another former stalwart recalled, is a favourite to feature once more and should form the central defensive partnership alongside Lukas Klostermann, 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, Xavier Schlager and Nicolas Seiwald 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 Dani Olmo should play behind the strikers, having the freedom to make ghosting runs while pulling the strings. Finally, Lois Openda and Benjamin Sesko will be the two strikers for Leipzig against Augsburg.
Probable Lineup (4-2-2-2): Blaswich; Henrichs, Klostermann, Orban, Raum; Seiwald, Schlager; Dani Olmo, Simons; Sesko, Openda
Key Stats
- RB Leipzig have won eight of their last ten matches against Augsburg in all competitions.
- RB Leipzig have scored at least three goals in their last four matches against Augsburg in all competitions.
- Die Roten Bullen are unbeaten in their last 12 Bundesliga encounter with Augsburg (W8, D4).
- After a run of three victories in six matches in the Bundesliga, FC Augsburg have won only one of their last seven games in the competition.
- RB Leipzig have scored a league-high 14 goals from set pieces this season, while Augsburg have conceded the most from dead-ball situations (14).
Player to Watch
Ermedin Demirovic
Ermedin Demirovic has been the FC Augsburg captain this season. The attacker, who came from SC Freiburg in the summer of 2022 in an exchange deal for Michael Gregoritsch, has now developed into a real goal-scoring phenom. With eleven goals this season, he is currently the fifth-best scorer in the Bundesliga.
The Bosnia and Herzegovina international also has a past at RB Leipzig, having went through the RBL Football Academy between 2014 and 2017. So, he will be keen to silence some doubters.
Prediction
FC Augsburg 1-3 RB Leipzig
RB Leipzig got back to winning ways against Union Berlin last time out, though a test at Augsburg looks like a stiffer challenge.
Augsburg are the only Bundesliga team yet to keep a clean sheet this season. With a total of 37 goals conceded, the hosts have a porous defence, which should play into Leipzig’s hands. And Marco Rose’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.