The return of the Bundesliga continues on Saturday as Freiburg are set to host Augsburg in a highly-anticipated clash at the Europa-Park Stadium.
Freiburg come off the back of a 1-1 draw against fellow Champions League-place competitors Eintracht Frankfurt, while Augsburg head into this affair in good spirits after securing a 1-0 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach.
Match preview
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Freiburg have embarked on an impressive campaign thus far, currently lying sixth in the Bundesliga and are level on points with Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt, who are ahead on goal difference.
The hosts have relied on their defensive solidity to secure results as they have recorded the highest amount of clean sheets in the league this season.
However, when making their return to action against Wolfsburg last weekend, they were thrashed in an embarrassing 6-0 defeat.
The nature of the defeat showcased signs of defensive frailty for Freiburg and is a result that will leave Freiburg fans slightly worried, as their impressive form this campaign has largely been due to their defensive qualities.
Although, a positive reaction in their 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt will give the players and fans confidence that the Wolfsburg result was just a blip.
Aerial duels could be an area of the game that Freiburg could exploit in this encounter, as Augsburg are relatively weak at defending set pieces, with Freiburg having dominant attackers of set pieces in their side.
Meanwhile, Augsburg have enjoyed a positive restart to the Bundesliga campaign, after pushing Borussia Dortmund all the way in a 4-3 defeat and beating Borussia Monchengladbach in their last match 1-0.
The visitors suffered a streak of seven games without a victory before the World Cup break in a run of form that left them lingering around the relegation places.
The poor form that they have displayed this season stems from a lack of ability to keep the opposition out, as Augsburg have only recorded three clean sheets so far while conceding the second-highest expected goals against in the division.
In this affair, Augsburg will look to set up in a defensive shape to halt Freiburg's progression into the final third and will look to exploit the opposition defence in quick transitions.
However, a strong performance defensively will be vital for Augsburg to deny Freiburg from getting into dangerous attacking areas, which is a part of their game that has been lacking for the majority of the season.
Team News
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Freiburg are expected to make two changes to the side that drew against Eintracht Frankfurt in their midweek matchup.
Yannik Keitel is expected to replace Nicolas Hofler after the 32-year-old picked up a one-match suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards in midweek.
Vincenzo Grifo is also set to make a return to the side after recovering from illness to replace Lucas Holer.
Hungarian midfielder Roland Sallai will not be available for selection, as the 25-year-old is still recovering from a muscle injury.
Augsburg are not expected to make any changes to the side that was victorious over Borussia Monchengladbach in their last outing.
Iago is still not available for selection due to an Achilles tendon injury, while Reece Oxford is expected to miss this encounter for precautionary reasons.
Tobias Strobl is nearing a return from a cruciate ligament injury, however, will not be available until early February, with Andre Hahn expected to be out until March.
Freiburg possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Sildillia, Kubler, Ginter, Lienhart, Gunter; Eggestein, Keitel; Doan, Gregoritsch, Grifo
Augsburg possible starting lineup:
Gikiewicz; Gumny, Gouweleeuw, Uduokhai, Pederson; Maier, Engels, Rexhbecaj, Demirovic; Beljo, Berisha
We say: Freiburg 2-0 Augsburg
We believe that Freiburg will control this matchup and will have too much attacking quality for Augsburg to deal with.
Augsburg will be aggressive and direct in their approach to this game away from home, but will be unable to cause a threat to Freiburg defensively and will be picked off by the hosts.
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