Freiburg go into the final day of the Bundesliga season needing a draw to secure top-fight survival. A loss to Augsburg and Freiburg would give Wolfsburg he opportunity to usurp their rivals in the fight to stay in the Bundesliga.
Augsburg will finish comfortably in midtable regardless of Sunday's result. It has been a good year for the club and Manuel Baum achieved his main objective: to keep Augsburg in the Bundesliga for next term. Although Baum's team will finish midtable, Augsburg haven't been in great form over their last six matches. Augsburg have won just five times in their last six games.
Like Sunday's opponents, Freiburg have struggled recently. Christian Streich's team can thank its form from earlier this term for giving the club an opportunity to remain in the Bundesliga. Freiburg have won once in their last 10 matches and the team has given up 19 goals during that time. In six of those matches, Streich's team has failed to find the back of the net and was shut out by the opposition.
Freiburg have scored the second fewest goals in the Bundesliga (30) while conceding the second most strikes (56). Striker Nils Petersen has tallied the second most goals in the league this term. His 15 strikes are exactly half the total Freiburg have scored this term. It is a figure that shows just how important Petersen has been to the club and how difficult goals have become at the Schwarzwald-Stadion.
Augsburg will be without Phillip Max due to suspension and it is expected Kevin Danso will slot into the left-back position. Attackers Michael Gregoritsch and Alfred Finnbogason have combined to score 25 goals for Augsburg. The pair have been a surprise package and one of the best striking combos in the Bundesliga. Augsburg are set to lose key players following Sunday's fixture. Goalkeeper Marwin Hitz will leave the club as his contract expires in the summer. Therefore, the team's players may have extra motivation for the fixture.
Although Augsburg have been the better club this season, Freiburg have won 10 of the last 12 meetings between the two teams. In 25 previous meetings dating back 40 years, a match between Freiburg and Augsburg has never ended in a 0-0 draw. When the two teams met in December, the fixture finished in a six-goal thriller.
Freiburg may have had difficulty scoring (0.9 goals per game), but the team will find a goal to get the point the club needs for Bundesliga survival. For Augsburg, they will have successfully defied expectations and remain in the top-flight for another year.