Preview: Hoffenheim vs. Augsburg - prediction, team news, lineups

The visitors have had a mixed start to the season across the opening matches with two defeats and a victory, with the focus now being on bringing in some consistency.

Match preview

Hoffenheim had a difficult start to the season when they were beaten by Borussia Monchengladbach on the opening day, but the squad has reacted well to that with consecutive victories.

Andre Breitenreiter's men responded well by winning a five-goal thriller against VfL Bochum even though they went two goals behind in the opening 13 minutes of that match.

Hoffenheim secured another three points last weekend in their most recent outing when they comfortably defeated Bayer Leverkusen by three goals to nil.

Christoph Baumgartner, Andrej Kramaric, and Georginio Rutter all got themselves on the scoresheet in that encounter, showcasing the attacking qualities across the squad.

Now Hoffenheim sit just three points behind current league leaders Bayern Munich, with another victory this weekend potentially seeing them climb further up the division.

Augsburg were also able to defeat Leverkusen this season as goals from Fredrik Jensen and Andre Hahn proved to be enough to win that game 2-1.

That match has been sandwiched by defeats against SC Freiburg, and more recently Mainz 05, which has led to some inconsistency in the early moments of this campaign.

Enrico Maaßen will be hoping for improved performances when it comes to the defensive side of his team, as they have failed to keep a clean sheet across the first three fixtures.

Augsburg almost managed to take a point against Mainz 05 last weekend after Ermedin Demirovic had scored an equaliser, but a lack of concentration at the end of the game cost the team.

Lee Jae-Sung scored in the 93rd minute of that encounter in order to take all three points, which is an area the club will be hoping to improve upon.

Hoffenheim Bundesliga form:

Hoffenheim form (all competitions):

Augsburg Bundesliga form:

Augsburg form (all competitions):

Team News

Hoffenheim have been dealing with several injuries recently as Ermin Bicakcic and Ihlas Bebou are dealing with knee problems, while Benjamin Hubner and Angelo Stiller have ankle injuries.

As well as them Philipp Pentke is sidelined with tendonitis, stretching the squad even further in terms of who is available.

Despite fitness concerns, Iago was able to feature for the visitors in their most recent game, and he will likely keep his spot at wing-back on Saturday.

While he is fit, Tobias Strobl and Noah Sarenren Bazee are both sidelined with ACL problems, and Reece Oxford is suffering a knee issue.

Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:

Baumann; Kabak, Vogt, Akpoguma; Tasende, Baumgartner, Geiger, Promel, Skov; Rutter, Kramaric

Augsburg possible starting lineup:

Gikiewicz; Bauer, Gouweleeuw, Uduokhai; Pedersen, Gruezo, Rexhbecaj, Iago; Maier, Jensen; Demirovic

We say: Hoffenheim 2-1 Augsburg

Hoffenheim have been the entertainers early on in the 2022-23 Bundesliga campaign, with their games typically being full of goals that showcases their attacking prowess.

The visitors have had mixed success in their opening three matches, and this weekend could be another tough challenge for them.

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