FC Köln vs. Augsburg preview: Two sides level on points face off
Augsburg will attempt to extend their unbeaten run to five matches when they travel to the RheinEnergieStadion to face Köln on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the hosts are looking to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat as they bid to return to winning ways.
Meanwhile, the hosts are looking to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat as they bid to return to winning ways.
| Steffen Baumgart. |
FC Köln
Köln are currently enduring a poor spell of form after losing their last three matches in all competitions.
A 1-0 home defeat to Partizan Belgrade in the Europa Conference League was followed by their worst Bundesliga result of the season when they faced local rivals Gladbach last weekend. Florian Kainz dispatched his spot-kick to cancel out Marvin Friedrich's opener, but the Köln goalscorer went from hero to villain when he received a second yellow card after giving away a penalty, which Rami Bensebaïni subsequently dispatched.
Lars Stindl added a fourth before Bensebaïni netted his second goal of the contest, and although Denis Huseinbašić pulled one back for Köln, a stoppage-time strike from Marcus Thuram condemned Steffen Baumgart's side to a 5-2 defeat.
They were unable to bounce back in midweek as Partizan claimed another victory that leaves Köln with one win in five games in all competitions.
Sunday's hosts will put their European campaign on hold for the time being, as they turn their attention towards league meetings with Augsburg and Mainz. Sitting in 11th place with 13 points to their name, a win would move Köln closer to the top six, while a defeat would leave them five points above the bottom three.
Team News
Kainz will miss the game through suspension while the hosts are also without the services of Dejan Ljubicic, Tim Lemperle, Sebastian Andersson, Julian Chabot and Mathias Olesen.
Augsburg
While Augsburg are level on points with their opponents, they will carry significant momentum into Sunday's contest after collecting 10 of their 13 points this season from their previous four games.
Enrico Maaßen began his tenure as Augsburg boss with four defeats in five league matches, but the club have since turned their fortunes around. They recorded three consecutive victories before drawing 1-1 with Wolfsburg last weekend thanks to Robert Gumny's equaliser.
With an away fixture awaiting them, Augsburg will draw confidence from the fact that they have won four of their five competitive away games this season, while they have the chance to claim a third consecutive away victory on Sunday. They are also unbeaten in their previous seven Bundesliga away games against Köln.
Team News
Maximilian Bauer and Jeffrey Gouweleeuw are both suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards, while Augsburg also have a number of injury absentees. Ankle problems will prevent Felix Uduokhai and Niklas Dorsch from featuring, and the pair are also joined on the sidelines by Andre Hahn, Reece Oxford, Dikeni Salifou, Noah Sarenren-Bazee and Tobias Strobl.
