Overview
The home team just experienced a disappointing 1-1 draw against Hamburger, although they took the lead very early and even played with more men in the last 25 minutes, they could not take advantage of the advantage.
When the Bundesliga is only 6 rounds away, the 7-point gap that Augsburg creates compared to St Pauli's relegation play-off position may be enough for them to be assured of staying in the highest league in Germany.
Coach Manuel Baum not only aims to avenge the 0-3 defeat to Hoffenheim in the first leg in November 2025, but also expects to win his first victory against this opponent after the last 5 encounters.
The draw with Hamburger also helped Augsburg end their 3 consecutive defeats, but their form is still worrying as they have conceded 10 goals in the last 4 matches and only scored 4 goals.
In the most recent home match, Augsburg lost heavily to Stuttgart 2-5. However, before this defeat, they had a 3-match winning streak at the WWK Arena and were unbeaten in 8 previous home matches.
Meanwhile, Hoffenheim's season is showing signs of slowing down after a 1-2 defeat to Mainz - their 8th defeat in the Bundesliga this season.
Coach Christian Ilzer's team has been in the top 4 for most of the time, but their recent form has declined significantly when they have only won 7 points in the last 8 matches.
Hoffenheim also revealed many problems at both ends of the field. They have conceded at least 2 goals in the last 5 matches (including 2 matches losing 5 goals), and have only scored a maximum of 1 goal in 4/5 recent matches, even being goalless in 2 matches.
However, it should be noted that Hoffenheim is only ranked 15th in the 2024-2025 season with 32 points, while this season they are aiming for the 61-point mark - the best achievement in 9 years, and the opportunity to participate in European cups is still there.
Hoffenheim's away form is also unstable as they have not won in 3/4 of their recent matches, including 2 defeats.
Personnel situation
Augsburg is facing significant losses in defense when two defenders Chrislain Matsima (thigh injury) and Keven Schlotterbeck (suspension) cannot play.
In that context, the trio Arthur Chaves, Jeffrey Gouweleeuw and Cedric Zesiger are likely to be given the opportunity to start, although none of them have played more than 21 matches in the Bundesliga this season. They will have to shoulder the task in the 3-man defense system in the upcoming match.
On Hoffenheim's side, the force is almost complete, except for midfielder Wouter Burger who is suspended. This opens up opportunities for Han-Noah Massengo and Fabian Rieder to appear in midfield.
In defense, the central defender pair Ozan Kabak and Albian Hajdari have not reached their best form this season, but are likely to continue to be trusted to play as a pair.
In attack, Bazoumana Toure - who is expected to leave the club in the summer - can still be present and is expected to receive support from Tim Lemperle and Fisnik Asllani.
Expected lineup:
Augsburg: Dahmen, Chaves, Gouweleeuw, Zesiger, Fellhauer, Massengo, Rieder, Giannoulis, Kade, Claude-Maurice, Ribeiro.
Hoffenheim: Baumann, Coufal, Kabak, Hajdari, Bernardo, Promel, Avdullahu, Prass, Asllani, Lemperle, Toure.
The match between Augsburg and Hoffenheim takes place at 1:30 a.m. on April 11 (Vietnam time).
