FC Augsburg (9-8-8, 11th) face VfL Wolfsburg (10-8-7, 7th), with the two teams separated by just three points and still contending for spots in any of the three European competitions.
| Augsburg’s Yusuf Kabadayi and Wolfsburg’s Maximilian Arnold contest for possession, 2. November 2024. | (Photo by Cathrin Müller / Getty Images) |
FC Augsburg
FC Augsburg (9-8-8) have been one of the most consistent teams in the Bundesliga, since the midway point of the season; Jess Thorup’s side are undefeated in their last nine Bundesliga matches (5-4-0), and have picked up a win or draw in nine of their last ten matches in all competitions (the defeat being in the DFB-Pokal to VfB Stuttgart, 0-1 on a Deniz Undav goal).
Their most recent performance was not the most pretty one in their campaign, but a win nonetheless; it was at Signal Iduna Park against Borussia Dortmund, where they were outshot 6-15 with just 28% possession, but managed to hold the shots on target to 1-1; the visitors were able to find the back of the net through a header from Jeffrey Gouwleeuw in the twenty-third minute.
A win in this match would put them level on points with Wolfsburg, but behind on goal differential (-6) – it would also close the gap between them and European competition, and with other results included, there could be seven teams within three points between fifth and eleventh, and eight within four if Frankfurt lose to Bochum.
Team News
Six omissions to report for Augsburg; centre-back Reece Oxford (fitness issues), left-back Mads Pedersen (torn ligaments), right-back Robert Gumny (torn adductor), right-back Henri Koudossou (muscle issues), left winger Yusuf Kabadayi (knee surgery), and centre-forward Mergim Berisha (hamstring) are unable to play in this match.
VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg (10-8-7) walked into their most recent match with FC St. Pauli last week, one spot out of European competition, and by one point; following the 1-1 draw, and RB Leipzig’s scoreless draw with SC Freiburg, Wolfsburg walk into this match in the exact same situation.
That 1-1 draw at the Volkswagen Arena saw Siebe van der Heyden power a header past Marius Müller, off an assist from Jackson Irvine to open the scoring for the visitors in the thirty-eighth minute; Mohamed Amoura equalised with a penalty just thirty-two minutes later, the foul committed by van der Heyden himself.
Die Wölfe are undefeated in their last seven Bundesliga matches (2-5-0), and have won or drawn in nine of their last ten matches in the Bundesliga specifically (4-5-1). Their away record (7-2-3) has looked better than their home record (3-6-4) this season; both of their last two matches in away venues have been 2-1 victories, in Stuttgart and Bremen.
A win for Wolfsburg, combined with a RB Leipzig draw / loss to Borussia Dortmund, means that they move into the Europa Conference League place. They can move into the Europa League spot with these two situations, plus a SC Freiburg defeat to FSV Mainz 05. In their most recent encounter with Augsburg, Wolfsburg outshot their opposition 18-3, 6-1 on target with 70% possession, but only managed a 1-1 draw on goals from Phillip Tietz and Mohamed Amoura.
Team News
Kamil Grabara is likely to return to the team; if he is healthy enough, Ralph Hasenhüttl will put him in the starting spot over Marius Müller, as he stated in the press conference on Thursday. Maximilian Arnold could also return to the lineup full-time, after returning to the field in the second-half against FC St. Pauli.
Patrick Wimmer may also be returning to the Wolfsburg eleven, if he recovers from the illness that kept him out of the St. Pauli match in time; that illness has since spread to other members of the team, including left-back Yannick Gerhardt, who will not be appearing in the squad just days after turning 31. Kevin Paredes is seeing progress on the training ground, but will only be considered to return to the main team after the March international window.
