Bochum vs. Augsburg preview: Two closely-matched sides face off
Just one point separates Bochum and Augsburg ahead of Saturday's meeting at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion.
Bochum
After taking four points from their first two games of 2024, Bochum fell to a 3-1 defeat in last Sunday’s away clash with Borussia Dortmund. Thomas Letsch’s side went into the break on level terms after Nico Schlotterbeck's own goal cancelled out Niclas Füllkrug’s opener. However, two further goals from the Dortmund forward ultimately condemned Bochum to a third consecutive away defeat.
Having won four, drawn eight and lost seven of their 19 league games, Bochum are currently sitting in 14th place with eight points separating them from the bottom three. They will look to extend that gap on Saturday when they welcome Augsburg to the Vonovia Ruhrstadion. Impressively, die Unabsteigbaren have put together a six-game unbeaten home run (W3, D3) since losing to Borussia Mönchengladbach in September.
The hosts have also won two of their last three meetings with Augsburg, including a 3-2 victory in their most recent home clash in May 2023.
Team News
Mohammed Tolba, Michael Esser and Tim Oermann are expected to miss out, while Takuma Asano is currently on international duty with Japan.
Augsburg
Augsburg enters Saturday’s contest off the back of a 3-2 loss to fellow Bavarian side, Bayern Munich. An Ermedin Demirović brace ultimately proved fruitless as Augsburg fell to their third defeat in four matches to leave them in 13th position.
After falling to their second straight home defeat, Jess Thorup's side will now head on its travels for matchday 19. The Fuggerstädter enjoyed success on their most recent away trip, claiming a narrow 2-1 victory over Gladbach. Augsburg now have the chance to win consecutive away games for the first time since September/October 2022.
They will also be looking to produce a strong defensive performance, having conceded in each of their last 22 league games since claiming a clean sheet in a 1-0 home win over Union Berlin in May last year. As a result, they are the only team yet to record a shutout in the Bundesliga this season.
Team News
Raphael Framberger, Dion Beljo and Niklas Dorsch are ruled out through injury, while Reece Oxford is sidelined due to illness.