Hamburg SV vs Augsburg – News and Probable Lineups

Hamburgo SV will aim to return to winning form on Saturday as they host Augsburg at the Volksparkstadion.

The home side is currently positioned 12th in the Bundesliga, sitting six points clear of 16th-placed St Pauli, while Augsburg is just one point ahead of Hamburg in 10th place.

Match overview

Hamburg enters this fixture after a thrilling 3-2 loss to Borussia Dortmund last week.

Hamburg took a 2-0 lead with first-half goals from Philip Otele and Albert Sambi Lokonga, but two late penalties from Ramy Bensebaini, along with a goal from Serhou Guirassy, allowed Dortmund to pull off a stunning comeback.

Head coach Merlin Polzin expressed his disappointment post-match, stating it was “extremely disappointing” to concede three goals in such a short period and called for his squad to “learn from these situations”.

Hamburg has secured only one victory in their last six league outings, and notably, only three teams have netted fewer goals than they have this season.

Augsburg, on the other hand, has suffered defeats in their previous three matches, including a heavy 5-2 loss to Stuttgart last weekend.

This loss ended an impressive eight-game unbeaten run at home, leaving head coach Manuel Baum frustrated with his team’s performance, acknowledging they “defended badly” and “didn’t put up enough of a fight”.

Baum will be eager for his team to bounce back quickly against Hamburg, although Augsburg possesses one of the weakest away records in the league, with only two other teams accumulating fewer points in away fixtures.

Additionally, Augsburg’s defensive statistics are concerning as they have conceded 50 goals in 27 matches this season.

Team News

Otele is anticipated to maintain his position leading the attack for Hamburg alongside Ransford Konigsdorffer following his goal against Dortmund.

Midfielder Lokonga, who also scored, is likely to start in the center alongside Fabio Vieira and Nicolai Remberg.

Augsburg might consider multiple changes in light of their disappointing defeat to Stuttgart, with Rodrigo Ribeiro, Noahkai Banks, and Elvis Rexhbecaj possibly facing the bench.

This trio were substituted at half-time last weekend and might be replaced in the starting lineup by Michael Gregoritsch, Arthur Chaves, and Anton Kade.

Hamburgo SV probable starting XI:

Fernandes; Omari, Vuskovic, Torunarigha; Mikelbrencis, Scallop, Remberg, Longa, Muheim; Hotel, Konigsdorffer

Augsburg probable starting XI:

Damen; Schlotterbeck, Chaves, Zesiger; Kade, Fellhauer, Massengo, Giannoulis; Rieder, Claude-Maurice; Gregoritsch

These two teams appear evenly matched, yet Augsburg’s defensive struggles and difficulties on the road suggest that Hamburg may have the edge in securing all three points.