Bundesliga: Dortmund and Augsburg Need a Turnaround Fast

Borussia Dortmund vs Augsburg

The 2022-23 campaign hasn’t exactly gone according to plan for both Borussia Dortmund and Augsburg.

Borussia Dortmund are far from the title contenders that they were last season. They are coming off two consecutive league losses, so they’ve fallen to sixth in the Bundesliga table with 25 points.

Augsburg also haven’t won in a while, and they’re only one point adrift from the relegation scrap since they’re in 14th place with 15 points.

The good news for these two sides is that one of them has a chance of breaking their winless drought on Sunday when they face off anew at Signal Iduna Park.

Talking Points

Haller might provide the spark Borussia Dortmund need

Sebastien Haller finally made his long-awaited debut for Borussia Dortmund earlier this week. He came in as a second-half substitute in a friendly against Dusseldorf, where they won 5-1, and then he had a coming-out party in their 6-0 victory against Basel.

BVB were up 3-0 against Basel when Haller was subbed in, and the former Ajax hitman singlehandedly doubled their lead with a couple of clinical finishes at their midseason training camp in Marbella.

Haller converted a penalty on 81 minutes, and five minutes later he had a tap-in from Julian Brandt’s dime before capping the afternoon with another cool corner finish.

Seeing Haller back on the pitch was a welcome sight for Borussia Dortmund after he underwent surgery to treat his testicular cancer in November.

Although he’s not on the same level as Erling Haaland, Haller gives Borussia Dortmund another viable striker in the final third alongside Anthony Modeste and Donyell Malen, as he will complement the likes of Jude Bellingham, Youssoufa Moukoko, Julian Brandt, and Marco Reus.

In other Bundesliga 2023 news for Borussia Dortmund, they’ve managed to strengthen their defencive depth with the addition of Julian Ryerson from Union Berlin.

The 25-year-old full-back might make his Bundesliga debut alongside Haller this weekend since Thomas Meunier is currently sidelined with a calf injury.

Augsburg seeking attacking reinforcements

Enrico Maaßen, who took over from Markus Weinzierl as head coach at the start of this season, has his work cut out for him in trying to steer Augsburg out of the relegation scrap.

Augsburg have shown glimpses of what they’re capable of under Maaßen. After losing four of their first five Bundesliga matches, they went on a four-game unbeaten run between September and October, which is what’s keeping them above the breadline.

But since their undefeated streak, Augsburg have lost three of their last four league matches prior to the World Cup break.

Their lack of goals is the main reason for their struggles, as only Schalke and VfL Bochum have scored fewer than Augsburg’s 18. Ermedin Demirovic and Florian Niederlechner are their top contributors with nine goals combined.

Because of this, they went out to sign Dion Beljo and Kelvin Yeboah (via loan). Beljo and Yeboah have played sporadically so far this season, so they will look to make the most of their opportunity in Augsburg.  

History

Augsburg have lost all of their last four Bundesliga away games against Borussia Dortmund. Their last road win was in February 2015, when they beat BVB 1-0.

However, Augsburg have scored in each of their last 17 Bundesliga matches against Borussia Dortmund, their longest streak against one side in the German top-flight.

Borussia Dortmund have lost back-to-back matches before the World Cup break, but that won’t matter much since they have yet to lose a game to start the calendar year since a 1-0 defeat to Schalke in 2004 (W13, D5), which is the longest such streak in Bundesliga history.

Augsburg are winless in their last seven league games (D3, L4), which is longer than any other Bundesliga side currently. This is their longest drought since 2019 (also seven from April to September).

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP Bundesliga 2023 odds favour Borussia Dortmund to win by a large margin, as they’re installed at 1.31, while Augsburg are priced at 8.00, and a draw is at 5.40 in the 1X2 market.

Because this fixture hasn’t produced a clean sheet since September 2020, Total Goal 2-3 @ 2.29 and Over 3.00 @ 1.61 are also on offer.

BVB are eager to put on a show in front of a packed Signal Iduna Park, and they should make a fast start against an Augsburg squad that will be on the defencive for the most part since they don’t have much firepower compared to their hosts.

 

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