Preview: Schalke 04 vs. Augsburg - prediction, team news, lineups

Augsburg head to Gelsenkirchen off the back of a shock 1-0 win against Bayern Munich prior to the international break.

Match preview

Schalke have struggled since returning to the Bundesliga at the first attempt, winning only one of their seven games so far, with that solitary victory coming against VfL Bochum, who had lost every match this season until claiming a draw against FC Koln in their last game.

In truth, Schalke were always likely to struggle this season given their paltry spending during the summer transfer window, while the scars from the dismal manner in which they were relegated from Germany's top flight for the first time in 33 years still linger on, particularly among the fanbase.

However, head coach Frank Kramer would have been content to see his side keep fierce rivals Borussia Dortmund at bay until the 78th minute of the Revierderby last time out, with Youssoufa Moukoko's winner finally breaking Schalke's stubborn resistance.

The Royal Blues did not register a single shot on target in the entire match against BVB, as they were restricted to only three shots in total and 33% possession, so in truth they did not deserve to come away with Dortmund with a positive result.

Kramer will demand a much more proactive performance against Augsburg on Sunday, with their forthcoming opponents expected to be towards the bottom of the table as well come the end of the campaign.

Augsburg, meanwhile, had endured a dismal start to life under new manager Enrico Maassen, losing four of their first five league games under the former Dortmund reserve team's head coach.

However, successive 1-0 wins against Werder Bremen and Bayern saw Fuggerstadter jump to 11th in the Bundesliga table heading into the international break, breathing new life into the 38-year-old's reign.

Maassen was initially brought to the club in an attempt to improve the general playing style, but having had less than 30% possession during both victories, perhaps he believes a counter-attacking style is much more suited to the players at his disposal.

Mergim Berisha's 59th-minute strike proved to be the difference between Augsburg and the Bavarians, with Rafal Gikiewicz making six saves across the course of the game as his side clung onto a crucial three points.

Should they defeat Schalke at Veltins-Arena on Sunday, Maassen's side could climb as high as seventh in the table, making any relegation fears seem to be a pessimistic way of approaching their aims for their season.

Schalke 04 Bundesliga form:

D

D

L

D

W

L

Augsburg Bundesliga form:

W

L

L

L

W

W

Team News

Schalke will remain without Leo Greiml, Cedric Brunner and Marcin Kaminski due to injury.

Marius Bulter, Florent Mollet and Thomas Ouwejan have all suffered with illness during the international break, but should recover in time to be available for selection on Sunday.

Augsburg, meanwhile, continue to suffer from an injury crisis, with Felix Uduokhai, Frederik Winther, Reece Oxford, Niklas Dorsch, Dikeni Salifou, Tobias Strobl, Iago and Noah Sarenren Bazee all ruled out of making the trip to Gelsenkirchen at the weekend.

Mads Pedersen will replace Iago at full-back, but with his options limited, Maassen is unlikely to make any other changes to the attacking starting XI which defeated Bayern.

Schalke 04 possible starting lineup:

Schwolow; Matriciani, Van Den Berg, Yoshida, Mohr; Krauss, Flick; Bulter, Drexler, Larsson; Terodde

Augsburg possible starting lineup:

Gikiewicz; Gumny, Bauer, Gouweleeuw, Pedersen; Gruezo, Rexhbecaj; Hahn, Niederlechner, Demirovic; Berisha

We say: Schalke 04 1-2 Augsburg

Augsburg appear to have found an effective way of playing under Maassen, with their four forwards combining superbly in transition.

Their opportunities to do so may be more restricted against a more defensive Schalke side, but we expect the visitors to claim a third successive win against a struggling opponent.

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