Overview
The new season started with a positive signal for Augsburg. They have not only won their first two official matches, but have also struggled for defending champions Bayern Munich.
However, unfortunately for Sandro Wagner and his students, in recent weeks they have been short of bright spots when they have suffered 5 losses in the last 7 matches.
Augsburg's last 2 matches have been particularly painful. This team suffered a heavy 0-6 defeat at home to RB Leipzig, before being eliminated from DFB Pokal after a 0-1 loss to second-tier VfL Bochum, also at home.
Since the end of August, Augsburg have only won 1 victory, causing them to drop to 15th place in the rankings, only 3 points above the bottom 3 teams.
The club is no stranger to the bottom half of the Bundesliga, having last reached the top nine in 2015-2016. With Augsburg struggling to score and the defense continuously showing problems, the pressure is increasing on Wagner.
Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund are in a very familiar position - in the top 4 but still far behind their traditional opponent Bayern Munich.
Niko Kovac and his students missed the opportunity to put pressure on the Bavarian team when they lost 1-2 at Der Klassiker. The defeat at the Allianz Arena left Die Borussen 7 points behind in the championship race, in the context that Bayern have won all 8 Bundesliga matches so far.
While Dortmund await a surprise slip from their opponents, their immediate focus will be on Augsburg - the team they have failed to beat in their last two appearances.
Last season, the German giants lost both matches against Fuggerstadter, both by a single goal, and have won just four of their meetings.
However, with Augsburg's declining form, the away team will find a way to turn around when traveling to WWK Arena.
Personnel situation
Augsburg's Keven Schlotterbeck was an unused substitute in last weekend's 0-6 loss to RB Leipzig. With this situation, Schlotterbeck is unlikely to play against his younger brother, Nico, who has been a regular starter for Dortmund since returning from a knee injury.
Speaking of injuries, Jeffrey Gouweleeuw will be absent as he is still recovering, causing him to miss the last 6 matches.
Frenchman Alexis 8:00-Maurice has been leading Augsburg's attack in recent weeks, despite not scoring since February. Young player Mert Komur could be given a chance to start after recovering.
As for Borussia Dortmund, this team welcomed Aaron Anselmino back from injury in midweek, when he participated in the DFB-Pokal victory over Eintracht Frankfurt. Meanwhile, Emre Can and Julien Duranville are both absent due to injury, although Duranville has recently returned to training.
Star striker Serhou Guirassy will try to end the Bundesliga's goal drought, as he scored for the last time in mid-September. Jobe Bellingham played well against Frankfurt, but is expected to return to the bench this weekend, having not started any Bundesliga games since August.
Julian Brandt scored against Frankfurt, but is likely to return to the bench.
Expected lineup:
Augsburg: Dahmen, Banks, Matsima, Jakic, Giannoulis, Fellhauer, Massengo, Kade, Saad, Rieder, Komur.
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel, Bensebaini, Schlotterbeck, Anton, Svensson, Nmecha, Gross, Ryerson, Chukwuemeka, Adeyemi, Guirassy.
The match between Augsburg and Dortmund takes place at 2:30 am on November 1 (Vietnam time).
