Mainz have claimed a mere one win in the last six matches versus Augsburg. On Saturday, the 05ers are aiming for a victory to stay unbeaten in the Bundesliga this season when they play Augsburg.
Augsburg were tipped as a relegation candidate and there were plenty of pundits predicting the Fuggerstädter would go down at the end of the campaign.
🤯 pic.twitter.com/MyqRIqR6Xw— FC Augsburg (@FCA_World) August 18, 2022
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Following an opening day 4-0 loss to Freiburg, the Fuggerstädter claimed a surprise 2-1 win against Bayer Leverkusen away from home.
Now, Augsburg go into matchday No. 3 looking for a win and possibly giving themselves, some breathing space when it comes to a relegation battle.
Last season, Augsburg won this fixture at home versus Mainz 2-1. The two games played by Augsburg and Mainz last term ended with over 2.5 goals scored. After two matchdays, 72% of Bundesliga matches ended with over 2.5 goals scored. Meanwhile, 78% of games ended with both teams scoring.
Augsburg coach Enrico Maaßen has a long list of injuries heading into the game this weekend. Defender Frederik Winther is a doubt with discomfort. Defender Iago is also a doubt following a knock.
Defender Reece Oxford has been ruled out until October, while defender Tobias Strobl is expected to be out a few more weeks with an ACL injury. Maaßen will have a small group of defenders to choose from on Saturday for the fixture with Mainz.
Those aren’t Maaßen’s only injuries, however. Midfielders Lukas Petkov, Niklas Dorsch, and Dikeni Salifou are all battling injuries and could miss the match.
Mainz coach Bo Svensson has just one name on the injury list heading into matchday No. 3. Danny da Costa has a groin strain and is expected to miss out until September.
The 05ers are led in goals by Karim Onisiwo with two. He has scored the team’s only goals which came on matchday No. 1 against Bochum in a 2-1 win. Mainz’s second match of the season ended nil-nil with Union Berlin.
Svensson plays a 3-5-2 formation with Onisiwo and Marcus Ingvartsen leading the line. The formation allows Mainz to slow down the attack of opposing teams.
Maaßen also plays a 3-5-2 formation with Fredrik Jensen likely to be a part of the two-man striker corps. Jensen scored against Bayer last time out. Right winger Andre Hahn is the only other Augsburg player to score this term.
Mainz do not have a strong record against Augsburg, but they are unbeaten this season and in decent form. Injuries could play a part in Augsburg failing to win against Mainz.
The 05ers should pick up a win at full-time with the correct score of 2-1. Two of the last six games between these teams ended 2-1.