FC Augsburg vs. FC St. Pauli preview: Can the hosts keep their momentum high?

Augsburg will aim to keep the momentum rolling at home on Matchday 20, hosting St. Pauli in what may prove a pivotal six-pointer at the bottom end of the Bundesliga table.

Going into the weekend, Augsburg sit just above the relegation battle, while St. Pauli remain inside the bottom three. With only a small gap separating the two sides, this encounter shapes up as a classic six-pointer in the fight for survival.

Augsburg riding high

Augsburg approach the game in buoyant mood after producing one of the standout results of the season last week. Manuel Baum's side stunned Bayern Munich with a 2–1 victory away from home, making Augsburg the only German team to defeat Bayern so far this season!

That result has injected a lot of belief into a squad that had been struggling for consistency and could prove a turning point in their campaign.

St. Pauli, meanwhile, are still searching for momentum. Alexander Blessin’s team have shown defensive resilience in recent weeks but continue to find goals hard to come by. With time slowly becoming a factor, points are urgently needed if they are to climb out of the relegation zone.

Team news

Augsburg will be without captain Jeffrey Gouweleeuw, who is sidelined with a knee ligament injury. Chrislain Matsima is also unavailable due to a tendon tear. Additionally, both Rexhbecaj and Zesiger are walking a suspension tightrope, each being one booking away from a ban.

St. Pauli have several absentees to contend with. Andreas Hountondji is ruled out after suffering a hairline fracture to his ankle, while Connor Metcalfe remains sidelined with knee problems. David Nemeth is also unavailable following adductor surgery, leaving Blessin short of defensive options.

Predicted lineups

Augsburg are expected to line up in a 3-4-2-1 system:

Dahmen – Chaves, Schlotterbeck, Zesiger – Fellhauer, Massengo, Rexhbecaj, Giannoulis – Rieder, Claude-Maurice – Gregoritsch

St. Pauli are also likely to start with a 3-4-2-1:

Vasilj – Ando, Wahl, Mets – Saliakas, Sands, Smith, Pyrka – Fujita, Irvine – Jones

What to expect

Augsburg will try to carry the intensity and confidence from their Bayern victory into this match, looking to dominate midfield duels and apply early pressure. Claude-Maurice and Massengo are expected to play key roles in transition, while Gregoritsch can always be a dangerous threat, even after not-scoring for a few games.

St. Pauli are likely to adopt a compact approach and focus on disrupting Augsburg’s rhythm. Eric Smith and Jackson Irvine will be central to their hopes of controlling the middle of the pitch and launching quick counter-attacks.

With both teams desperate for points and Augsburg riding the emotional high of last week’s shock result, a tense and hard-fought contest is expected in Bavaria - many of these match-ups tend to end in a draw, so that's our prediction for the outcome of this promising Bundesliga battle.