Preview: Energie Cottbus vs Augsburg - prediction, team news, lineups

Energie Cottbus are still finding their feet in the 2. Bundesliga following their historic promotion, but they will have to put their league duties to one side this weekend as they prepare to host Augsburg in the first round of the DFB Pokal.

Unlike the hosts, Augsburg are heading into their first competitive game of the season, and they will be looking to shake off a poor recent record in this competition.

Match preview

Recent years have not been kind to Energie Cottbus, who went from the heights of the Bundesliga in 2009 to the lows of the fourth tier just eight years later.

After meandering in the fourth and third tiers for over a decade, Energie finally made a breakthrough, finishing second in the 3. Liga last season to secure that all-important promotion to the 2. Bundesliga.

The mastermind behind Energie’s recent successes is head coach Claus-Dieter Wollitz, who has been in the job since 2021.

Avoiding relegation will be high on Wollitz’s priority list this season, and his side has made a mixed start to the new season, picking up an impressive 3-1 victory over Hannover before being thrashed 3-0 away at Arminia Bielefeld.

Weekly pressures of the second tier will be replaced with an exciting opportunity to play a Bundesliga club this weekend - a game in which Energie have little to lose.

The club boast a dreadful record in the DFB Pokal, bowing out in the first round in eight of the last nine seasons.

Augsburg are heading into the new season hoping to improve on their ninth-placed finish - an impressive achievement given the club spent the early part of the campaign flirting with the relegation zone.

Manuel Baum’s arrival in December sparked the club’s impressive turnaround, with the manager overseeing a run of eight wins from the last 16 games of the season.

To put that into perspective, Augsburg managed just three wins under Sandro Wagner in the first 12 games of the Bundesliga season.

With a full pre-season under his belt and some major changes taking place during the transfer window, Baum is excited to get things underway, telling the club’s website: “Pre-season is over, and this weekend, things kick off. As you’d expect, everyone is itching to get started.”

One thing the 46-year-old boss will be hoping to change is Augsburg's poor record in the DFB Pokal, given the side have progressed past the second round just once in seven years.

Energie Cottbus form (all competitions):

Augsburg friendly form:

Team News

Energie Cottbus are dealing with a handful of absentees ahead of Saturday’s DFB Pokal game.

Jannis Boziaris, for instance, has a calf problem and is expected to remain on the sidelines.

Erik Engelhardt, on the other hand, is dealing with a ligament tear, while King Manu is trying to shake off a knee issue.

Augsburg, meanwhile, enter the new season boasting a fit squad, with the exception of one name.

Alexis Claude-Maurice is a doubt after picking up an ankle problem last May, and the attacking midfielder does have a slight question mark over his name.

There are also questions over who will start up front, with Baum boasting several options.

Michael Gregoritsch was a regular starter in the second half of last season, scoring six goals in 17 league matches. The Austrian could have competition from new signings Rodrigo Ribeiro and Steve Mounie.

Energie Cottbus possible starting lineup:

Lotka; Rorig, Campulka, Erlein, Borgmann; Pelivan, Michelbrink; Hannemann, Cigerci, Butler; Bogdanov

Augsburg possible starting lineup:

Dahmen; Matsima, Gouweleeuw, Schlotterbeck; Fellhauer, Massengo, Rieder, Behrens; Kade; Gregoritsch, Ribeiro