FC Bayern vs. FC Augsburg preview: Team news and predicted lineups

A virus plaged FC Bayern München welcome FC Augsburg in the Bavarian derby to the Allianz Arena on matchday 19 of the Bundesliga. The fixture brings back memories of an eventful first meeting earlier in the campaign, when Bayern edged a dramatic 3-2 win away in Augsburg against their former coach Sandro Wagner on Matchday 2.

Flashback: Five-goal thriller on Matchday 2

The reverse fixture was anything but routine: Kompany's side were going into the match as heavy favourites, having beaten RB Leipzig dominantly before. Augsburg themselves were europhic and high on their new coach Sandro Wagner. The latter went viral for a quote after the match: “I don't see that we are inferior to Bayern in terms of quality.” - oh how he was wrong.

Bayern only beat their Bavarian rivals by one goal, but their seasons could not have gone any more different since then. The Rekordmeister went on to break a few records on their way to the best first half of the season ever, while Augsburg felt the need to fire Wagner at the end of November, just three months after he compared his side to Bayern Munich.

Since he was let go, Augsburg returned to their old ways, being one of the “uglier” and more difficult-to-play-against teams in the Bundesliga. The Fuggerstädter have looked more organized and confident in their approach, particularly without the ball, while remaining dangerous in transition. Results have reflected a team that is difficult to break down and willing to challenge stronger opponents rather than simply react.

That being said, their performance in the first meeting against Bayern serves as a clear reference point for what they will try to replicate in Munich, as it almost worked against the seemingly unbeatable top team.

Kompany expects a “final-like” challenge

Vincent Kompany made it clear in his pre-match press conference that Bayern are preparing for a tough evening. He stressed that games against Bayern often feel like a final for the opposition, and Augsburg will be no different. Kompany also pointed out that Augsburg are likely to have studied Bayern’s recent matches closely, underlining their belief and ambition going into the game.

Addressing Bayern’s recent pattern of slower starts followed by dominant second halves, Kompany reframed the discussion, suggesting opponents often expend maximum energy early on. Nevertheless, he emphasized that Bayern aim to control matches more consistently and avoid having to recover from difficult first halves.

Team news: Bayern stretched at the back

Bayern head into the Matchday 19 clash with several defensive absences. Josip Stanišić, Konrad Laimer, Dayot Upamecano and Sacha Boey are all unavailable. Serge Gnabry and Lennart Karl are (extremely) doubtful after picking up the virus currently circulating within the squad, which has also affected Upamecano.

Despite the shortages, Kompany remains calm. Hiroki Itō and Kim Min-jae are fit, while Raphaël Guerreiro and Tom Bischof provide additional options. Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka are also candidates to fill defensive roles if required. Alphonso Davies is edging closer to a return to the starting XI after a positive cameo last time out, while Jamal Musiala continues to be carefully managed, with possible minutes depending on his condition.

Augsburg will travel to Munich without Jeffrey Gouweleeuw, Chrislain Matsima and Noah Banks, while Kristijan Jakić remains doubtful - a blow to their defensive stability as well.

Predicted lineups:

FC Bayern (4-2-3-1):

Neuer - Bischof, Kim, Tah, Itō - Kimmich, Pavlović - Olise, Guerreiro, Díaz - Kane

FC Augsburg (3-4-2-1):

Dahmen - Keitel, Schlotterbeck, Zesiger - Fellhauer, Rieder, Massengo, Giannoulis - Kade, Claude-Maurice - Gregoritsch

Outlook

Bayern will be eager to start the derby with authority at home, but the narrow win in Augsburg earlier this season serves as a clear warning. Augsburg have already shown they can hurt Bayern and under Manuel Baum, they arrive in Munich with a refreshed belief. If Bayern want a more comfortable evening than on Matchday 2, they will need to match Augsburg’s intensity from the very beginning.