Preview: Augsburg vs. Mainz 05 - prediction, team news, lineups

With four matches in the books, Mainz find themselves rock bottom of the table with a solitary point to their name, while Augsburg sit 15th with two points.

Match preview

Augsburg endured a damaging 3-0 defeat to RB Leipzig last weekend, with Xavi Simons, Lois Openda and David Raum all scoring inside the opening 30 minutes to put the game out of Fuggerstadter's reach before half time.

In truth, the tone was set for Augsburg's season when they suffered a shock 2-0 loss against third-tier side Unterhaching in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, despite racking up 64% possession and 16 shots against their lower-league opponents.

Following a crazy 4-4 draw with Borussia Monchengladbach on the opening weekend of the Bundesliga season, Enrico Maassen's men suffered a 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich before throwing away the lead on two occasions to draw 2-2 with VfL Bochum.

After last weekend's loss at RB Leipzig, Augsburg have taken two points from a possible 12 this season, while only newly-promoted Darmstadt have conceded more Bundesliga goals than Fuggerstadter's 12, highlighting the team's defensive frailties.

If Augsburg have made a poor start to the season, then Mainz have endured a dismal opening to the 2023-24 campaign, as Bo Svensson's side find themselves rock bottom of the Bundesliga table after four games, having picked up a solitary point this term.

The 05ers suffered a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Union Berlin in their first league outing, with a 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt coming on the second weekend of the season, although the Eagles' 91st-minute equaliser made that draw feel like a loss.

Mainz then shipped four goals for the second time in three matches as they endured a 4-0 defeat to Werder Bremen, and their struggles continued after the international break as a Serhou Guirassy hat-trick saw Stuttgart claimed a 3-1 victory at Mewa Arena last weekend.

Not only have Mainz taken one point from a possible 12 this season, but they have also managed to score just three league goals, meaning that Svensson's side possess the joint-worst offensive record in the German top flight.

Augsburg Bundesliga form:

Augsburg form (all competitions):

Mainz 05 Bundesliga form:

Mainz 05 form (all competitions):

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Team News

Augsburg's lengthy injury list contains Raphael Framberger, Sven Michel, Masaya Okugawa, Japhet Tanganga and Frederik Winther, while Niklas Dorsch is a doubt for Saturday's clash as he continues to recover from a thigh issue.

Lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, Patric Pfeiffer, Maximilian Bauer and Felix Uduokhai will continue to occupy the centre-back spots, with Ruben Vargas and Ermedin Demirovic providing attacking support to lone striker Dion Drena Beljo.

Mainz have numerous injury problems of their own, with Jonathan Burkardt, Andreas Hanche-Olsen, Maxim Leitsch, Nelson Weiper and Silvan Widmer all expected to miss the trip to Bavaria this weekend.

Svensson could match Maassen's formation as he attempts to find a winning formula, meaning that Austrian forward Karim Onisiwo should lead the line on Saturday, while Marco Richter and Lee Jae-sung will likely operate just behind the striker.

Augsburg possible starting lineup:

Dahmen; Pfeiffer, Bauer, Uduokhai; Mbabu, Rexhbecaj, Dorsch, Pedersen; Vargas, Demirovic; Beljo

Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:

Zentner; Van den Berg, Bell, Fernandes; Mwene, Barreiro, Kohr, Caci; Richter, Lee; Onisiwo

We say: Augsburg 0-0 Mainz 05

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