Bochum vs. Augsburg preview: A huge battle near the bottom
Augsburg likely just need one more point to safely stay in the league, while the hosts at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion are in desperate need of a victory.
| Photo: FC Augsburg |
Bochum
Bochum are back in 17th place and haven’t won a league match since a surprising victory over Leipzig two months ago. It’s not looking good for Die Unabsteigbaren, who also have a massive relegation-zone matchup against Hertha next week.
Luckily, Bochum have produced their best results at home this season and there will undoubtedly be boisterous home support behind them on Saturday. There are still concerns finding a decent fullback duo, but Thomas Letsch did mention that Cristian Gamboa will play despite still not being 100%.
In his presser, Letsch said, “A win at the weekend would change a lot. But it is not the final, the season is not over after that. It's still a special situation, an important chance. But we must not change everything in our processes now.”
Team News
Gerrit Holtmann, Kevin Stöger, and Jordi Osei-Tutu are questionable, while Moritz Broschinski and Patrick Osterhage are out. Philipp Förster is likely to play through a minor injury.
Augsburg
Augsburg ended a run of poor form last week with a surprising win over Union Berlin and inched further away from the relegation zone. They’ve struggled on the road this season and it doesn’t get any easier away to hungry Bochum.
Mërgim Berisha could return to the starting lineup on Matchday 32 in place of Ruben Vargas, who is out for the rest of the season. If inserted from the off, the German international will play alongside Ermedin Demirovic and Dion Beljo in a physical, imposing front three.
Enrico Maaßen commented, "Bochum have already taken points from many clubs. The stadium is very noisy and very narrow. We scored consistently for three games in a row and worked hard throughout the week. Now we have to show that we are up to the situation."
Team News
Berisha and Niklas Dorsch are starting options, while Rafal Gikiewicz and Iago remain out along with several other long-term absentees. Arne Engels is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.