Augsburg and FC Koln get the Sunday fixture list underway in the Bundesliga this weekend at the WWK Arena.
The hosts have kept up their scintillating form of late, while visitors Koln remain deep in relegation trouble with just eight games remaining of the season.
Match preview
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Augsburg continue to go from strength to strength under Jess Thorup, as another win before the international break kept them in the driving seat for a top-seven finish.
That moved the Bavarians onto 35 points, more than what they managed in the whole of last season, and they are also on course for their best-ever scoring season in the top flight, with 43 goals to their name so far.
After a surprise defeat to relegation candidates Mainz, Augsburg have gone on to win four league games in a row for the first time in a decade.
Twelve goals and two clean sheets shows that they have been strong at both ends of the pitch, and a 3-1 away win over Wolfsburg last time out spelled the end for their manager Niko Kovac.
Augsburg are now favourites for the top seven, which would see them qualify for Europe if Bayer Leverkusen win the DFB-Pokal, earning them just a second passage into UEFA competition after making their continental debut in 2015-16.
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There are no such ambitions for Koln though, as their only objective will be to miraculously escape the drop this season.
The league's weakest attack were thrashed 5-1 by RB Leipzig before the break, illustrating that problems at both ends of the pitch means automatic survival is unlikely from this stage.
That defeat paired with Mainz's win over Bochum last time out saw them drop into the automatic relegation places too, so they may not even get the luxury of the playoff to save their season.
Just one win in 13 games shows why Koln are in such deep trouble, but Augsburg boss Thorup was keen to stress that they can be a difficult team to beat, given that the visitors have drawn their last four away games.
Team News
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Augsburg's top scorer Ermedin Demirovic will be suspended here after picking up a booking in their win at Wolfsburg before the international break, and the Bosnian will be a huge miss considering he has 14 goals and eight assists to his name so far this season.
Full-back Robert Gumny will also miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL this week, joining Niklas Dorsch (foot) on the sidelines.
Ruben Vargas and Maximilian Bauer are both set to feature after some doubts surrounding their fitness this week, though, with the former leaving international duty earlier last week.
Koln have been hit with a big injury blow of their own, as manager Timo Schultz believes defender Luca Kilian may have torn his ACL in training on Friday.
Schultz did provide positive news on a few players though, as Davie Selke and Max Finkgrafe could feature, while Eric Martel will play with a protective mask this weekend.
Despite limited game time this season, Dominique Heintz committed his future to the club with a new contract until 2026 this week, but he is set to be on the bench again here.
Augsburg possible starting lineup:
Dahmen; Mbabu, Gouweleeuw, Uduokhai, Iago; Jakic, Maier, Jensen, Vargas; Beljo, Tietz
FC Koln possible starting lineup:
Schwabe; Thielmann, Chabot, Hubers, Finkgrafe; Alidou, Huseinbasic, Martel, Kainz; Adamyan, Selke
We say: Augsburg 2-0 FC Koln
After four straight wins, a fixture against a side battling relegation is ideal on paper for Augsburg, and even though their last defeat came against Mainz, who were in 17th at the time, they should have no such problems this time.
A 1-1 draw in the reverse saw Koln's three-game winning streak against Augsburg - where they scored 10 goals - come to an end, and a defeat is now on the cards for the Bundesliga strugglers.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
