Borussia Dortmund’s four match away streak continues tomorrow with a Bundesliga match against FC Augsburg. Augsburg took a gamble this offseason when they appointed former Bundesliga mainstay, Sandro Wagner,
as head coach. It is Wagner’s first stint as head coach after a brief period as an assistant coach with the German National team. His tenure is going exactly how you’d expect – Augsburg are struggling. It’s not exactly Wagners fault, however. Augsburg entered the season after another midtable finish, and their squad remained largely the same. The team’s keys performers have failed to get started this season and Augsburg are just outside of the relegation zone. Center-backs Kristijan Jakic and Chrislain Matsima were both signed permanently over the summer but regressed from allowing 1.5 goals per game last season to a Bundesliga-worst 2.5 this season. The Bavarians are now coming off an early cup exit at the hands of 2nd tier Bochum and will be eager to revitalize their season.
Borussia Dortmund enter this match on different terms. After dropped points against RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich, Kovac’s men have now notched three successive victories including the all-important DFB Pokal win over Eintracht Frankfurt. Three points will be vital for Borussia Dortmund because their immediate competition will drop points this weekend. 1st place Bayern Munich host 5th Bayer Leverkusen and 2nd place RB Leipzig host VfB Stuttgart. If everything goes perfect for Dortmund, they can jump from 4th place to 2nd and only four points behind the league leaders.
Player to Watch: Fabian Rieder
With their experienced veterans floundering, Augsburg have had two bright spots this season. 23-year-old Fabian Rieder and 20-year-old Mert Kömür. Both players have two goals and two assists this season. Rieder, however, has established himself as the creative heartbeat of the team. He has been involved in two goals this month and has become a piece in the Swiss national team. Expect to see him play behind Augsburg’s striker, drift wide, and look to take shots from distance on his left foot.
Expected Lineup: 3-5-2
If you’re expecting anything flashy and new this game – you’re mistaken. Kobel will start in goal after his penalty heroics with Rami Bensebaini, Nico ‘please don’t leave us’ Schlotterbeck, and Walderman Anton in defense. Niklas Sule suffered a toe injury and will miss the match. Svensson will start at left-back because he’s determined to play every second of the Bundesliga Season while Couto will mirror him on the other side after Julian Ryerson played 120 minutes on Tuesday. Felix Nmecha and Marcel Sabitzer should feature in midfield, but I could see Kovac electing to play Gross for more ballplaying ability. We should see Brandt, Beier, and Guirassy up front after the latter was a sub in Tuesday’s match. Adeyemi and Beier are fairly interchangeable for Kovac after Adeyemi’s fantastic start has stuttered but either could start tomorrow.
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