Preview: Augsburg vs Werder Bremen - prediction, team news, lineups

Following a poor start to the season, both Augsburg and Werder Bremen are currently looking over their shoulders, though three points on Saturday would certainly bring some much-needed peace at Christmas.

Die Fuggerstadter are just a couple of points above the relegation zone, while the River Islanders are in the midst of a four-match winless run in the Bundesliga.

Match preview

Still on the hunt for a new permanent manager, Augsburg will close out the calendar year with interim boss Manuel Baum in the dugout.

Since taking over from Sandro Wagner, Baum’s men stunned the competition with a 2-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen before falling to a 1-0 defeat away at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Pellegrino Matarazzo was one of the favourites for the job, but the former Stuttgart and Hoffenheim boss is now expected to take a job over in Spain.

Former Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl is one of the other names being linked with the vacancy, though Baum will be hoping to put his own name in the mix with a good result in the final match of 2025.

Having won just two of their last eight Bundesliga outings, victory on Saturday would be the perfect Christmas gift for a fanbase which has endured a lot of disappointment this season.

If you thought Augsburg were in a hole, spare a thought for Werder Bremen.

The River Islanders got off to a shocking start to December, losing the Nordderby away at Hamburger SV before being thumped 4-0 at home against Stuttgart.

Despite their recent troubles, Bremen have an opportunity to jump into the top half of the Bundesliga table ahead of the winter break, which would certainly make for a relaxed festive period.

That, however, will be a lot easier said than done considering Horst Steffen and his men have only picked up one win on the road this season – a 4-0 success over Borussia Monchengladbach at the start of the campaign.

One of the main priorities for the visitors will be to deliver an improved performance in defence, having failed to keep a clean sheet in six straight games and conceding seven goals across their previous two outings.

Augsburg Bundesliga form:

L L W L W L

Augsburg form (all competitions):

L L W L W L

Werder Bremen Bundesliga form:

D W L D L L

Werder Bremen (all competitions):

D W L D L L

Team News

The Africa Cup of Nations has hit Augsburg hard, with three players currently out on international duty.

Forward Samuel Essende has linked up with DR Congo, while the midfield duo of Ismael Gharbi and Elias Saad are both representing Tunisia.

Jeffrey Gouweleeuw remains a long-term injury absentee, while defender Chrislain Matsima is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season.

On top of all that, there are doubts over Anton Kade’s fitness after he picked up an ankle injury away at Frankfurt last time out.

Werder Bremen, on the other hand, continue to be without Felix Agu as the 26-year-old continues his recovery from an ankle injury.

Teenage defender Karim Coulibaly is suspended after picking up a red card in the 4-0 defeat to Stuttgart last weekend, while Mitchell Weiser remains on the sidelines with a knee problem.

There are also question marks over Victor Boniface, Leonardo Bittencourt and Marco Friedl, who are all dealing with slight knocks.

Augsburg possible starting lineup:

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

Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:

Backhaus; Sugawara, Pieper, Stark, Schmidt; Stage, Lynen; Puertas, Schmid, Njinmah; Grull