Preview: Borussia Dortmund vs Augsburg - prediction, team news, lineups

Defeat for Borussia Dortmund against visitors Augsburg at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday could drag them back into the battle for a place in the Bundesliga's top four.

Black and Yellow are second with 55 points, but a loss could leave them seven points in front of fifth place ahead of a difficult final few weeks, whereas their opponents are ninth with 31 points and are looking to secure their top-flight status for another season.

Match preview

Dortmund might have had ambitions of challenging for the Bundesliga title, but it is hard to see them overtaking league-leaders Bayern Munich given they trail them by 11 points with nine matchweeks remaining.

The club have qualified for the Champions League for 10 consecutive seasons, though they still have to face fourth-placed Stuttgart, third-placed Hoffenheim, sixth-placed Bayer Leverkusen and seventh-placed Eintracht Frankfurt.

Niko Kovac's side emerged as 2-1 victors against FC Koln on March 7, the 11th Bundesliga game in a row that they scored at least two goals in.

Dortmund's victory against Koln provided much needed relief considering they were winless in their prior three outings - two losses and one draw - though it was their seventh triumph in nine Bundesliga clashes.

It will be comforting for BVB fans to know that the club have only conceded 11 league goals at home - a joint best in the top flight - and their only loss in their 12 Bundesliga fixtures at Signal Iduna Park came against Bayern on February 28.

Augsburg were unfortunate to lose 2-1 against RB Leipzig on March 7 considering they only conceded the winner in the second minute of second-half stoppage time, while they also squandered a number of golden opportunities in the penalty area.

The visitors are seven points ahead of 16th-placed St Pauli, who occupy the relegation playoff spot, but they will face five of the current top seven in their next six league games.

Fuggerstadter may have been beaten 1-0 by Dortmund in the reverse fixture in October 2025, but they did win both league meetings in the 2024-25 season.

Boss Manuel Baum had overseen three victories in the three games prior to their loss against Leipzig, with the club scoring six goals and keeping two clean sheets in their wins.

Augsburg's recent record on the road has been mixed, as while they succumbed to losses in two of their past four away fixtures, they did get the better of Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich.

Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

Augsburg Bundesliga form:

Team News

Dortmund defenders Emre Can and Ramy Bensebaini have been ruled out due to injury and suspension respectively, making the selection of Niklas Sule, Waldemar Anton and Nico Schlotterbeck straightforward.

Marcel Sabitzer and Felix Nmecha both started in a double pivot against Koln, and they will be hopeful of being rewarded with more starts in the coming weeks.

Centre-forward Serhou Guirassy and attacker Maximilian Beier both scored last time out, while Julian Brandt managed to register an assist, and the trio will likely feature together on Saturday.

Augsburg's Keven Schlotterbeck will be facing his brother Nico, though he will need help from Noahkai Banks and Cedric Zesiger in the team's back three.

Midfielder Yannik Keitel is a doubt due to a knee issue, though first-choice duo Kristijan Jakic and Han-Noah Massengo are ready to be named in the XI once again.

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Kobel; Sule, Anton, N Schlotterbeck; Ryerson, Sabitzer, Nmecha, Svensson; Beier, Brandt; Guirassy

Augsburg possible starting lineup:

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