Bundesliga: Bayern to Keep Pace with a Win Against Augsburg

Augsburg vs Bayern Munich

The mighty Bavarians are persistent but can’t seem to catch up with Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen, who have a great opportunity to lift their ‘Neverkusen’ curse after the Bundesliga season’s all said and done.

Bayern’s loss to Werder was an opportunity wasted for Thomas Tuchel and his outfit to narrow down Leverkusen’s lead. With a game in hand, Bayern already bagged three of the possible six points they can garner this week after beating Union Berlin 1-0.

To garner all six points, they would need to claim a win against a striving Augsburg, and If Bayern can collect all six eggs in their basket after Matchday 18, it’s possible that they would be trailing Leverkusen by just one point coming into Matchday 19.

Meanwhile, Augsburg finally got out of football purgatory by ending their winless streak after defeating Gladbach last week. That win came just in the nick of time, as they were slowly dipping down in the league table. But they have a tall order to keep the ball rolling as they face the defending Bundesliga champions in their next top-flight match.

Talking Points

Bayern aim for six points this week

Bayern’s recent upset against Werder really hurt their momentum in chasing down Leverkusen at the summit of the league table. After 18 matches, Bayern are second in the title race, trailing Xabi Alonso’s outfit by four points.

At this point of the season, it’s looking like the campaign will boil down to a two-horse race between Leverkusen and Bayern, who currently have double-digit leads over third-placed Stuttgart.

Bayern leaned on their resiliency and championship pedigree to pass their first hurdle this week, converting their game in hand to three points when they beat Union Berlin 1-0.

Now, they have a chance to cut Leverkusen’s lead to just one when they visit a sturdy Augsburg outfit at WWK Arena.

Losing pinnacle defender Kim Min-jae due to international duties evidently left a hole in their defence, but a collective effort from their back line has managed to keep Bayern’s defence intact, conceding just one goal since the absence of Kim thus far.

So it’ll be interesting to see if Augsburg’s ace, Ermedin Demirović, can penetrate the Bavarian’s intimidating defence.

Augsburg finally got one

After a forgettable stretch of football, Jess Thorup and his men finally managed to tally a win. Prior to Matchday 18, Augsburg’s last win was against Frankfurt back in December 4, where they defeated the Eagles with a 2-1 score line.

That was the last three points they’ve garnered for over a month of football, but with their backs against the wall, Thorup and his troupe tallied a win against Die Fohlen, thanks to rapid-fire goals from Philip Tietz and Arne Engels.

Better late than never, as they say. Their win against Gladbach possibly saved their season altogether, as they were slowly becoming a sinking ship coming into Matchday 18, slipping all the way down to the 12th spot in the league table.

It’s definitely a breath of fresh air for Augsburg, but they can’t afford to get stuck on cloud 9, as they’ll need to face the defending league champions in their next bout. Chances are thin, but not impossible.

Werder proved that Bayern can bleed, and Augsburg’s win against Die Fohlen could jumpstart an inspiring run for brighter Bundesliga 2024 results in the second half of the season.

History

Both Augsburg and Bayern Munich have been staples in the top flight since time immemorial, which is why they’ve tallied a total of 31 games since 2008. It’s safe to say that the Bavarians have Augsburg’s number, given that they’ve won 24 matches in their last 31 against Augsburg.

Meanwhile, Fuggerstädter have had a couple of fond memories when facing Bayern, winning five times and tallying two draws since 2008.

In their most recent head-to-head, Bayern cruised past Augsburg thanks to a Harry Kane brace and a first-half goal from Uduokhai. Augsburg didn’t go down without a fight, though, as they were able to get one goal back in the last few minutes of the match, courtesy of Dion Drena Beljo.

Betting Tip

Despite boasting the most potent offence in the German top flight, Bayern’s goal-getting abilities have been rather tepid for the past Bundesliga matchdays. Bayern were only able to score just one goal in their last two top-flight bouts.

Also, the last match where the Bavarians and their opponents totaled more than three goals was way back in their December 9 clash with Frankfurt, where the Eagles thrashed the reigning champions with a score line of 5-1.

With that, my betting tip is total goals under 3.5 at 1.90. Bayern’s tepid goal-scoring stretch, coupled with Augsburg’s struggles in the scoring department this season, makes the price of 1.90 for goals under 3.5 a glaring value for punters to definitely consider.

Their 1X2 lines rightfully have Bayern as the heavy favourites to win at 1.26, which doesn’t hold enough excitement given the disparity of the contestants’ form this season.

If you’re hoping for an unlikely upset, the Bundesliga 2024 odds have Augsburg at 7.60 with a 5.60 price to draw, and after Bayern’s fumble against Weder a few weeks back, it wouldn’t be a surprise if there are punters who would consider these offers.

 

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