Preview:Augsburg vs VfL Bochum - prediction, team news, lineups

Bundesliga side Augsburg will welcome familiar opponents VfL Bochum to the WWK Arena on Tuesday for their second-round DFB-Pokal tie.

Fuggerstadter will be hoping to bounce back from defeat last time out, while the visitors could make it four games unbeaten.

Match preview

Sandro Wagner's Augsburg look set for another fight near the lower reaches of the top flight this season, given their record of two wins, one draw and five defeats so far, and a cup run could be one of the few bright spots in their campaign.

On Saturday, Fuggerstadter were battered 6-0 by in-form RB Leipzig on their own turf, and though the result was not unexpected, the manager will be keen to address the nature of the scoreline by beating their lower-tier opponents in midweek.

With that in mind, fans may take heart from the fact that Augsburg completed a league double over Bochum last season, winning 1-0 at home in November 2024 before a 2-1 triumph on the road in April of this year.

Wagner's side endured a five-game losing streak between the end of August and the start of October, but they seemed to be turning a corner prior to their clash with Die Roten Bullen, given that they had picked up four of their seven-point total in the two preceding matches.

However, the hosts have only won once at WWK Arena in 2025-26, not to mention the fact that they last kept a clean sheet 11 games ago in mid-August, when they beat fourth-tier Hallescher 2-0 in the first round of this competition.

Meanwhile, Uwe Rosler's Bochum were relegated to the 2.Bundesliga in 2024-25 after finishing bottom of the pile in the top flight, and they look set for a fight to avoid consecutive demotions this term.

The visitors kicked off their league campaign by losing seven of their first eight second-tier games, though they have emerged from their six-match losing run in recent weeks.

This past Saturday, Rosler's men followed up a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Hertha Berlin by earning another point in a 1-1 draw on the road against Holstein Kiel, meaning that they have collected more than half of their points so far in their last two fixtures.

Hoping to build on their burgeoning momentum, Bochum will need to defy their dire away record that features five defeats and one draw in the 2.Bundesliga this term, though their sole triumph on their travels did come in the previous round of the DFB-Pokal against BFC Dynamo.

Victory on Tuesday could inspire the visitors' relegation battle and extend their unbeaten streak to three matches overall, but they are the underdogs given their lower-division status.

Augsburg DFB-Pokal form:

Augsburg form (all competitions):

VfL Bochum DFB-Pokal form:

VfL Bochum form (all competitions):

Team News

Augsburg have a largely fit squad to choose from, though versatile forward Mert Komur is likely to miss out through illness, while centre-back Jeffrey Gouweleeuw is sidelined with an MCL injury.

In their absence, Elias Saad could lead the line once again, backed up by Fabian Rieder and Alexis Claude-Maurice, while a back three of Kristijan Jakic, Chrislain Matsima and Noahkai Banks will be desperate to make amends for conceding six against Leipzig.

As for Bochum, right-winger Koji Miyoshi is anticipated to return from a ligament injury in the coming days, and midfielder Ibrahima Sissoko should be back next month, though neither are available this week.

With that in mind, Francis Onyeka and Gerrit Holtmann could start out wide, with Matus Bero and Cajetan Lenz providing cover for attacking midfielder Mats Pannewig from their double pivot.

Elsewhere, centre-back Kevin Vogt is expected to be out until March 2026 with a knee injury, though Erhan Masovic and Philipp Strompf should be on hand to start on Tuesday.

Augsburg possible starting lineup:

Dahmen; Jakic, Matsima, Banks; Kade, Massengo, Fellhauer, Giannoulis; Rieder, Claude-Maurice; Saad

VfL Bochum possible starting lineup:

Horn; Morgalla, Masovic, Strompf, Wittek; Bero, Lenz; Onyeka, Pannewig, Holtmann; Hofmann