Soccer Germany Bundesliga Prediction

Augsburg vs Stuttgart - Match Preview

⚽ 21 April 2023 - 18:30 GMT +0

Following their 3-2 defeat at RB Leipzig this past weekend, Augsburg coach Enrico Maaßen was left cursing his side’s lack of “luck”. Yet, that was the fourth time from their last five matches in which they’d scored first but failed to win (D2, L3), suggesting there might be more than just bad luck impacting their ability to hold onto crucial leads.

Augsburg finished the round 14th and just five points clear of opponents Stuttgart in the relegation play-off spot. Up until their recent 3-1 home defeat against Cologne, the hosts had avoided defeat in five league games at WWK Arena (W4, D1). However, that loss plus the 1-1 draw against then-rock bottom Schalke before it, hints that their strong home advantage might be starting to abandon them for what could be a crucial run-in.

Stuttgart showed remarkable character last time out to bounce back from going down 2-0 at half-time against Dortmund to then score a stoppage-time equaliser after falling behind in the 90th minute - all while being down to ten men from the 39th minute! Post-match, coach Sebastian Hoeneß understandably praised the morale of his team but will be all too aware that they’ll need to produce more of the same here if they’re to pull away from danger.

Delivering on the road has been one of Stuttgart’s biggest issues, as evidenced by their failure to win any of their first 13 league away games of the season (D5, L8). They did finally snap that run last time out on the road when defeating Bochum 3-2. That result meant the Swabians have found the back of the net in ten of their 14 away league games this season, which means a strong defensive display could be key to handing them another crucial three points here.

📋 Players to watch: After serving his suspension, Augsburg will potentially be looking to their second-highest scorer Ermedin Demirović (G7) as he delivered an assist in each of his last two home games. For Stuttgart, Silas Katompa equalised late last matchday, scoring four of his five league goals this season in the second half, with three in the last 15 minutes.

⚡ Hot stat: Augsburg have never drawn at home against Stuttgart in the Bundesliga (W6, L3) with seven of those nine games producing over 2.5 match goals.