Bayern Munich vs. Augsburg preview: Leaders looking to maintain unbeaten record

Bayern Munich

Bayern currently enjoy a five-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga after winning eight and drawing two of their 10 matches this season. The Bavarians kicked off their league campaign with four consecutive victories, before they played out draws with Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt. Bayern returned to winning ways to record four straight league victories, including a narrow win over St. Pauli in their final outing before the international break. Jamal Musiala’s first-half effort proved enough to clinch a 1-0 victory, with the result representing their fourth consecutive clean sheet in the Bundesliga.

The Bavarians will return to action with a home clash against Augsburg, and they will be overwhelming favourites to take maximum points from Friday’s fixture. Vincent Kompany’s side have won five of their last six competitive home matches, including their last three against Stuttgart, Union Berlin and Benfica. The hosts can also take confidence from the fact they have won each of their previous four meetings with Augsburg.

Team News

Kompany has revealed that a late decision will be made on Manuel Neuer’s availability. Neuer’s fellow goalkeeper Sven Ulreich will miss out due to personal reasons, leaving Daniel Peretz in line to start if Neuer fails to prove his fitness in time.  The hosts are also without the services of João Palhinha, Hiroki Ito, Josip Stanišić, Aleksandar Pavlović, Sven Ulreich and Mathys Tel.

Augsburg

Augsburg will begin matchday 11 in 12th place after winning three, drawing three and losing four of their 10 league matches. The Fuggerstädter enjoyed a successful run of results in the lead-up to the international break, putting together a four-game unbeaten run in all competitions. They began that run of results with home victories over Borussia Dortmund and Schalke in the league and DFB-Pokal respectively. They went on to play out a 1-1 draw in their away clash with Wolfsburg, before they had to settle for a goalless scoreline in their home meeting with Hoffenheim.

While they have proven to be a tough team to beat in recent times, Augsburg's away form will offer a cause for concern ahead of Friday’s difficult trip to the Allianz Arena. The Fuggerstädter have lost seven of their previous eight Bundesliga road trips (D1) since they beat Wolfsburg 3-1 in March. They have also lost eight of their previous nine away meetings with Bayern since recording a narrow 1-0 win in May 2015.

Team News

The visitors are expected to be without the services of Tim Breithaupt, Fredrik Jensen and Reece Oxford.