Augsburg host Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga on Saturday as they look for successive league wins and hope to replicate last season's 4-0 victory against this weekend's opponents.
Meanwhile, Hertha Berlin are hoping that they can end their poor run of form after losing four of their last five Bundesliga matches.
Match preview
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Augsburg ended their three-game winless run last weekend with a 3-1 triumph over Mainz 05, with winger Andre Hahn scoring a brace in the final 10 minutes of the match.
That win has moved Heiko Herrlich's side up to sixth place in the Bundesliga after an impressive start to their 2020-21 campaign.
Die Fuggerstadter have taken 10 points from their first six matches, which is their second-best points total at this stage of a Bundesliga season – after taking 11 points in 2017-18. They have also scored nine goals so far, a tally they have only bettered in the 2018-19 campaign when they scored 11 league goals.
Augsburg, who have won only once in the last 11 meeting with Hertha Berlin, go into this fixture in better form than their opponents and know that a victory on Saturday could see them move into the top four.
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Hertha Berlin's unsatisfactory start to the 2020-21 campaign continued, following a 1-1 draw against Wolfsburg last weekend.
With just four points on the board from six matches, this is Hertha's worst record at this stage of a Bundesliga season since they were relegated in 2009-10 – after taking just 3 points back then.
Die Alte Dame have been shipping too many goals in recent weeks, conceding 13 goals in six Bundesliga games so far, which is their worst record since they were relegated in 1990-91, when they conceded 16 goals.
Manager Bruno Labbadia will feel however that this weekend's clash with Augsburg could be a good opportunity to turn their fortunes around. The 54-year-old has taken 13 of a possible 15 points in his most recent games against Augsburg.
A victory on Saturday would be Labbadia's 100th win as a Bundesliga coach and could see Hertha climb the table to 12th.
Augsburg Bundesliga form: WWDLLW
Augsburg form (all competitions): WWDLLW
Hertha Berlin Bundesliga form: WLLLLD
Hertha Berlin form (all competitions): WLLLLD
Team News
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Midfielder Jan Moravek remains out with a muscle problem and forward Florian Niederlechner, who missed Augsburg's last match, is also set to remain sidelined with an abdominal muscle injury.
Andre Hahn, who scored a brace against Mainz last weekend, could retain his starting place in attack with Alfred Finnbogason on the bench.
Hertha Berlin's central defender Jordan Torunarigha (ankle ligament) and defensive midfielder Santiago Ascacibar (hamstring) are both ruled out with injuries.
Forward Krzysztof Piatek, who has yet to score this campaign, will be hoping for his first start since September, although Colombian Jhon Cordoba is likely to keep his place in the starting lineup as the loan striker.
Arsenal loanee Matteo Guendouzi, who has yet to start for the German side, is likely to remain on the bench but could feature as a substitute.
Augsburg possible starting lineup:
Gikiewicz; Framberger, Gouweleeuw, Uduokhai, Iago; Caligiuri, Khedira, Gruezo, Vargas; Gregoritsch, Hahn
Hertha Berlin possible starting lineup:
Schwolow; Pekarik, Boyata, Alderete, Mittelstadt; Stark, Tousart; Lukebakio, Darida, Cunha; Cordoba
We say: Augsburg 1-1 Hertha Berlin
There have been eight draws in the last 16 Bundesliga meetings between the two sides and on Saturday we could see yet another close game. Labbidia seems to have found a way to get results against Augsburg in recent seasons, but with the home team in good form, both sides may have to settle for a ninth draw in as many years.
Top betting tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Away Win:dataData Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Hertha Berlin win with a probability of 42.1%. A win for Augsburg had a probability of 32.88% and a draw had a probability of 25%.
The most likely scoreline for a Hertha Berlin win was 0-1 with a probability of 9%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.91%) and 0-2 (6.81%). The likeliest Augsburg win was 1-0 (7.78%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.78%). The actual scoreline of 0-3 was predicted with a 3.4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Hertha Berlin would win this match.
