RB Leipzig vs. Augsburg preview: Die Roten Bullen targeting third straight win
RB Leipzig will attempt to claim a third consecutive victory when they welcome Augsburg to the Red Bull Arena on Saturday.
RB Leipzig
After beating Bayern Munich 3-0 to win the DFL-Supercup for the first time, Leipzig were quickly stopped in their tracks by Bayer Leverkusen in their league opener as they fell to a narrow 3-2 defeat. However, Marco Rose’s side have responded impressively to that result to bounce back with consecutive victories.
After thrashing Stuttgart 5-1, Die Roten Bullen recorded another comfortable victory in their most recent encounter against 10-man Union Berlin. Xavi Simons opened the scoring in the 51st minute, before Benjamin Šeško came off the bench to net a brace and round off a commanding 3-0 away win.
Leipzig will now be aiming to secure a third consecutive victory on their return from the international break. They will certainly take confidence from the fact they have won their last five Bundesliga home matches, while they have also beaten Augsburg in each of their previous four home meetings.
Team News
The hosts are unable to call upon El Chadaille Bitshiabu, Amadou Haidara, Dani Olmo and Willi Orban. There are also doubts surrounding the availability of Christoph Baumgartner and Lukas Klostermann.
Augsburg
After winning just one of their final 11 games of the 2022-23 season, Augsburg’s poor form has carried into the new campaign. The Fuggerstädter are still searching for their first win of the season after picking up just two points from their opening three league games.
They began the Bundesliga campaign with an entertaining 4-4 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach before they fell to a 3-1 away defeat to reigning champions Bayern Munich. Enrico Maaßen’s side would have been hoping to claim maximum points in their most recent outing against Bochum, but they were ultimately held to a 2-2 draw despite taking the lead on two occasions.
Including last season, Augsburg have conceded at least two goals in each of their last six Bundesliga games, and they will need to improve defensively if they are to trouble a free-scoring Leipzig side. After picking up just one point from their previous seven league trips to the Red Bull Arena, the visitors are hoping to claim their first-ever Bundesliga away win over Saturday’s opponents.
Team News
The visitors are without the services of Raphael Framberger, Masaya Okugawa, Reece Oxford, Sven Michel and Japhet Tanganga. Frederik Winther and Jeffrey Gouweleeuw are also fitness concerns for Augsburg.
