Preview: Augsburg vs Freiburg - prediction, team news, lineups

A loss for visitors Freiburg on Sunday in the Bundesliga against Augsburg at WWK Arena could significantly damage their European ambitions.

Relegation-threatened Augsburg are 15th with 15 points, while Freiburg are eighth with 23 points having lost 2-0 against RB Leipzig on January 14.

Match preview

The hosts are looking to do the double against Freiburg, having won 3-1 in August in the reverse fixture due to an excellent first-half display, with the team leading 3-0 at the interval.

Augsburg will feel they should have taken three points when they faced Union Berlin on Thursday, but a 96th-minute equaliser by their opponents meant they were forced to settle for a 1-1 stalemate.

That match was their fourth in a row that they failed to win - they lost twice in that time - and they only managed to score once in those games.

Boss Manuel Baum's side have now conceded five goals in their last two outings, but they did keep two clean sheets in the prior three contests.

Fuggerstadter have drawn their past two clashes at home, but they did claim victory in their previous two games at WWK Arena, with Baum guiding the team to three clean sheets in their four-match unbeaten streak.

The visitors' attacking display against Leipzig was alarmingly poor considering they generated just 0.17 xG and three shots, and their only attempt on target came in the 20th minute.

Freiburg find themselves six points behind sixth-placed Bayer Leverkusen, who occupy the Bundesliga's Conference League spot, and falling further behind would make the task of qualifying for Europe significantly more challenging.

Julian Schuster had overseen a positive winter period prior to his team's defeat at the hands of Leipzig, helping his side achieve three wins and one stalemate.

Breisgau-Brasilianer rank as the worst offensive club in the top eight having netted just 27 goals, and their record of 29 conceded is only better than one team in the top 10.

Freiburg's performances on the road have been far from perfect given they have been beaten in three of their five most recent away trips while only emerging victorious once.

Augsburg Bundesliga form:

Freiburg Bundesliga form:

Freiburg form (all competitions):

Team News

With Augsburg centre-back Jeffrey Gouweleeuw ruled out due to a knee issue, expect Noah Banks, Keven Schlotterbeck and Cedric Zesiger to play in a back three.

Kristijan Jakic and Han-Noah Massengo may start behind a front three of Anton Kade, Alexis Claude-Maurice and Michael Gregoritsch.

Freiburg attacker Daniel-Kofi Kyereh is still out due to a knee injury, and his absence could lead to appearances for Jan-Niklas Beste, Johan Manzambi and Vincenzo Grifo behind striker Igor Matanovic in the front line.

Freiburg have often utilised a double pivot, with Maximilian Eggestein and Patrick Osterhage featuring regularly.

Central defender Matthias Ginter's place in the XI can be assumed, but with Philipp Lienhart struggling with abdominal problems, perhaps Anthony Jung will be stationed in defence.

Augsburg possible starting lineup:

Dahmen; Banks, Schlotterbeck, Zesiger; Fellhauer, Jakic, Massengo, Giannoulis; Kade, Claude-Maurice; Gregoritsch

Freiburg possible starting lineup:

Atubolu; Kubler, Ginter, Jung, Makengo; Eggestein, Osterhage; Beste, Manzambi, Grifo; Matanovic

We say: Augsburg 1-0 Freiburg

Augsburg's recent results have been worrying, though they will have a chance on Sunday considering Freiburg's away trips have not been particularly fruitful.

The hosts' record at WWK Arena has been positive, and if they can make the weekend's clash relatively uneventful, then they could come out on top.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.