Borussia Dortmund will look to continue building the momentum when they welcome FC Augsburg to Signal Iduna Park on Saturday.
The games continue to come thick and fast across Europe, with Matchday 32 of the 2023/24 Bundesliga season greeting us this week. The latest round of fixtures kicks off with the clash between Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig on Friday. Saturday will give us five matches, with Borussia Dortmund and FC Augsburg getting the action underway in one of four simultaneous ties.
Borussia Dortmund fans will be disappointed by the 2023/24 campaign thus far on the balance of things. While the Black and Yellows have reached the UEFA Champions League final, they were never in contention to win the Bundesliga title. However, the hosts have qualified for next season’s Champions League and can focus on reaching the final of their European competition after beating Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 on Wednesday.
As for Augsburg, their hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Europa League are fading, with sixth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt six points ahead of them. In addition, their recent form has been sub-par, with Jess Thorup’s charges winning only one of their last five Bundesliga matches, thus dropping to eighth in the standings.
The reverse fixture saw Borussia Dortmund come from a goal down to hold FC Augsburg to a 1-1 draw, with Donyell Malen scoring the equaliser. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Borussia Dortmund
Edin Terzic does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against FC Augsburg on Saturday, the Borussia Dortmund manager will be bereft of the services of only one first-team player.
Ramy Bensebaini is the only absentee, with the 29-year-old recovering from a knee injury. Otherwise, Erdic has a full-strength squad for Saturday’s game. Borussia Dortmund should line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against FC Augsburg, with Gregor Kobel taking his spot between the sticks.
The rest of the starting eleven should see a raft of changes, with Terzic preserving his best players for the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain. So, Niklas Sule and Marius Wolf should replace Mats Hummels and Julian Ryerson, joining Nico Schlotterbeck and Ian Maatsen in the backline.
As for the midfield unit, Felix Nmecha and Salih Ozcan should replace Marcel Sabitzer and captain Emre Can in the double pivot. Marco Reus will likely reprise the no. 10 role, with Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Donyell Malen being the two wide attackers. Finally, Youssoufa Moukoko will lead the line for the home side.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Wolf, Sule, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen; Nmecha, Ozcan; Malen, Reus, Bynoe-Gittens; Moukoko
FC Augsburg
Unlike his counterpart in the Borussia Dortmund dugout, Jess Thorup has several pressing roster issues to deal with ahead of the trip to Signal Iduna Park. The FC Augsburg manager will be without seven first-team players on Saturday.
Kristjan Jakic is the latest absentee, with the 26-year-old serving a suspension after picking up a milestone yellow card last week. The Croatian midfielder has joined Raphael Framberger (knee), Robert Gumny (knee), Iago (foot), Reece Oxford (illness), Elvis Rexhbecaj (ankle), and Fredrik Jensen (calf) on the sidelines.
Finn Dahmen will take his spot between the sticks, with Augsburg lining up in a 4-3-1-2 formation in front of him against Borussia Dortmund. The backline should feature Kevin Mbabu, Jeffrey Gouweleeuw, Felix Udokhai, and Mads Pederson.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Tim Breithaupt, Arne Engels, and Arne Maier. The trio will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park while initiating quick transitions. Finally, Ruben Vargas will reprise the no. 10 role, with Phillip Tietz and captain Ermedin Demirovic being the two strikers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-1-2): Dahmen; Mbabu, Gouweleeuw, Uduokhai, Pedersen; Engels, Breithaupt, Maier; Vargas; Tietz, Demirovic
Key Stats
- Borussia Dortmund are on a five-match winning run in home matches against FC Augsburg.
- Borussia Dortmund have won 15 of their 22 games against teams outside the top six this season, drawing the other seven.
- Augsburg have collected 15 points on the road so far this season, more than in their three previous campaigns.
- Currently, on 39 points, FC Augsburg are on course to reach the 40-point mark for the first time since 2017/18 (41 points).
- Jadon Sancho scored his 40th Bundesliga goal last weekend, overtaking Tony Woodcock as the Bundesliga’s record English scorer.
Player to Watch
Marco Reus
The inevitable announcement has finally arrived. Marco Reus will not continue at Borussia Dortmund beyond the 2023/24 season, bringing the curtains down on his legendary 12-year stint with the Black and Yellows after his contract expires this summer.
The former German international has been a faithful servant of BVB, remaining loyal to the club even as world-class players have come and gone from Signal Iduna Park. With only two more home games left for Borussia Dortmund this season, expect Reus to get a rousing reception, with the veteran attacker looking to bow out with a bang.
Prediction
Borussia Dortmund 1-1 FC Augsburg
With Edin Terzic likely to rotate his troops, FC Augsburg will have the opportunity to topple the home side. The visitors are currently on a five-match losing run against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park and will want to end that streak this weekend.
However, a motivated Marco Reus will make his mark on the game, earning Borussia Dortmund a point after FC Augsburg take the games to the hosts. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between Dortmund and Augsburg, with the result not doing the away team any favours.
