Schalke 04 vs. Augsburg preview: Visitors aiming for three straight victories
Augsburg have the chance to claim three consecutive victories when they face Schalke on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the hosts are looking to clinch a second straight home win as they look to move away from the bottom three.
Meanwhile, the hosts are looking to clinch a second straight home win as they look to move away from the bottom three.
| Elvis Rexhbecaj. | Photo: FC Augsburg |
Schalke 04
Schalke have found it tough in their return to the top flight with their seven league games yielding only one victory.
After collecting only three points from their opening five matches, Schalke finally claimed their first win of the season against a struggling Bochum side. However, they were unable to build upon their 3-1 victory when they faced rivals Borussia Dortmund in the Revierderby before the international break. A point seemed to be on the cards for the majority of the contest, but Youssoufa Moukoko's 78th-minute winner guided Dortmund to a 1-0 victory.
Frank Kramer's head into Sunday's contest in 15th position with only one point separating them from the bottom three. If they can claim consecutive home victories then they will move level on points with their opponents. The hosts will at the very least be confident of claiming a positive result after losing only two of their previous 20 Bundesliga games against Augsburg.
Team News
Schalke are expected to be without the services of Ibrahima Cissé, Leo Greiml, Cedric Brunner and Marcin Kaminski due to injury issues. There are also doubts over the availability of Marius Bülter, Florent Mollet and Thomas Ouwejan.
Augsburg
Augsburg may only be three points better off than their hosts, but they will return from the international break in a confident mood after recording consecutive victories. Enrico Maaßen's side ended a run of three straight defeats with a narrow 1-0 win over Werder Bremen, and they managed to replicate that scoreline in their most recent game to upset the reigning champions Bayern Munich.
Mergim Berisha's first goal for the club proved to be the winning goal, as the Augsburg defence and Rafał Gikiewicz kept Bayern at bay to secure their first home victory of the season.
After ending Bayern's run of scoring in 87 consecutive league games, Augsburg will look to equal their top-flight record on Sunday as they bid to keep a third straight clean sheet.
With their first objective this season to secure their Bundesliga status, Augsburg could move seven points clear of the bottom three with a win on Sunday.
Team News
The visitors have a number of injury absentees, including Felix Uduokhai and Reece Oxford. They are also unable to call upon Niklas Dorsch, Dikeni Salifou, Noah Sarenren Bazee and Tobias Strobl.