Relegation-threatened pair Augsburg and FC Koln meet at the WWK-Arena this Saturday in an important Bundesliga clash.
Despite both sides being a healthy margin clear of the bottom three, the two are in danger of slipping into trouble.
Match preview
© Reuters
Augsburg will be kicking themselves that they still find themselves in a perilous position at this stage of the season.
Their last three Bundesliga outings have seen them take the lead on each occasion, but they have ended up taking only two points from those matches.
The most disappointing was their trip to Wolfsburg last weekend which saw Enrico Maassen's side surrender a 2-0 lead in the final five minutes to draw 2-2 at the Volkswagen Arena.
That now means Augsburg have dropped a league-high 18 points from winning positions in the Bundesliga this season.
Sitting just seven points clear of trouble means they are not safe just yet, and if they continue to struggle to protect leads, that gap could close on them rapidly.
Form here at the WWK-Arena has been the side's saving grace, as they are unbeaten since the World Cup break, taking 13 points from a possible 15 in that time.
That is in stark contrast to their woeful home form in the first half of the season, as they won just five points from their eight home games before the season's intermission.
Koln enter the weekend as one of the most out-of-form sides in the division, having failed to win any of their last six matches.
© Reuters
The only goal they have scored in that time was a Davie Selke consolation in a 6-1 thrashing away at Borussia Dortmund, as they have conceded 13 goals across those six games.
Goals have been a big problem for Koln, barring their amazing 7-1 win over Werder Bremen in January, as they have blanked in 12 of their 26 league games this campaign.
One away win all season domestically does not bode well for this fixture either, as Koln have gone 10 games without tasting success on the road.
That last win came back in September against Wolfsburg - their longest winless away run for six years.
Steffen Baumgart's men have the chance to do the double over Augsburg here, having beaten them 3-2 in the reverse fixture back in October, but they have not achieved this since the 2007-08 season.
They have a good recent record in Augsburg though, having won on their last two visits to the WWK-Arena, scoring seven goals.
Team News
© Reuters
Augsburg are into double figures for absentees heading into this encounter.
Mads Pedersen will be suspended after picking up a fifth booking of the season last weekend, while Ermedin Demirovic is still banned following his straight red card before the international break.
Central defender Jeffrey Gouweleeuw is doubtful after he went off early last week, while Niklas Dorsch will remain out following nose surgery.
Tobias Strobl is out for the long-term after an ACL tear, along with Andre Hahn and Kelvin Yeboah who are also unlikely to feature again this season.
Koln's injury list is a little lighter, but they will be without striker Mark Uth for the rest of April as he recovers from a groin problem.
Florian Dietz is out with an ACL injury, along with fellow long-term absentees Sebastian Andersson and Kristian Pedersen.
Augsburg possible starting lineup:
Gikiewicz; Gumny, Bauer, Renato Veiga, Iago; Maier, Engels, Rexhbecaj, Vargas; Berisha, Cardona
FC Koln possible starting lineup:
Schwabe; Schmitz, Hubers, Chabot, Hector; Shkiri, Martel, Kainz, Huseinbasic, Maina; Selke
We say: Augsburg 1-1 FC Koln
Both sides would benefit greatly from a win to ease any doubts with relegation still on their minds, but neither have shown the cutting edge needed to be victorious in recent weeks.
While Augsburg are the masters of letting winning positions slip, Koln are the most prolific side at coming from behind, having taken a league-high 12 points from losing positions in the Bundesliga this season.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
