Bayern Munich have the chance to move within 13 points of being crowned Bundesliga champions should they beat hosts Augsburg at WWK Arena on Friday.
Augsburg are in eighth place with 39 points following their 1-1 draw with Hoffenheim on March 29, while the Bavarians' current points tally of 65 is six more than second-placed Bayer Leverkusen with just seven matchweeks remaining.
Match preview
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The home side struggled to create opportunities in the final third against Hoffenheim, producing just one shot on target in the first half while only generating one big chance in the second.
Augsburg's record in front of goal has been poor all season having only found the back of the net 30 times in the Bundesliga – the fourth-worst return in the top flight – and they have failed to score in four of their last eight.
Manager Jess Thorup's side were thoroughly outplayed in the reverse fixture against Bayern when they were beaten 3-0 on November 22, and they have in fact lost five consecutive games against the visitors, conceding at least three times in each matchup.
The Fuggerstadter have proven difficult to best for some time, with the club avoiding defeat in 11 of their last 12 outings in all competitions, winning six and keeping eight clean sheets.
Augsburg's form at home has also been strong given they have only lost three of their 14 matches at WWK Arena this season while achieving victory seven times.
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The visitors narrowly beat relegation-threatened St Pauli 3-2 last Saturday, though it is difficult to argue that they were not deserving winners given they created seven big chances compared to their opponents' one.
Boss Vincent Kompany will be concerned by his team's defensive frailty of late considering they have conceded six goals in their past three league matches and have not kept a clean sheet in their last four in the top flight.
However, the Bundesliga leaders have now scored three or more goals in 17 of their 27 games in the league this season, and their tally of 78 goals is at least 16 more than any of the other 17 teams in the division.
Though Bayern look like clear favourites to finish first, they will need to avoid complacency given they still have to face fourth-placed Mainz 05, fifth-placed Borussia Monchengladbach, sixth-placed RB Leipzig and fierce rivals Borussia Dortmund.
Kompany's side come into Friday's clash in strong overall form having triumphed in 10 of their last 14 while losing just once, but they have drawn two and lost one of their past six in the Bundesliga.
The Bavarians have been fallible away from home too, as in their 11 most recent fixtures on the road, they have been held to a stalemate three times and been beaten on a further two occasions.
Team News
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Augsburg boss Thorup boasts the advantage of having nearly a full squad to pick from, although wing-back Robert Gumny and winger Yusuf Kabadayi are both injured.
Expect Marius Wolf and Dimitrios Giannoulis to be stationed either side of centre-backs Chrislain Matsima, Jeffrey Gouweleeuw and Cedric Zesiger.
The hosts may choose to deploy a front three, with Fredrik Jensen and Alexis Claude-Maurice candidates to support striker Samuel Essende.
Bayern have been beset by further injuries to their squad, with centre-back Hiroki Ito joining defenders Alphonso Davies and Dayot Upamecano on the sidelines, as well as goalkeepers Manuel Neuer and Tarek Buchmann.
Shot-stopper Jonas Urbig is therefore likely to be shielded by a makeshift defence of Konrad Laimer, Eric Dier, Kim Min-jae and Raphael Guerreiro.
Unfortunately, midfielders Aleksandar Pavlovic and Leon Goretzka will also miss out – though the latter will return in the days after Friday's match – so expect Joshua Kimmich and Joao Palhinha to anchor the middle of the pitch.
Striker Harry Kane may be flanked by wingers Leroy Sane and Michael Olise, while forward Kingsley Coman's ankle injury is set to keep him out of action until at least next week.
Augsburg possible starting lineup:
Dahmen; Matsima, Gouweleeuw, Zesiger; Wolf, Onyeka, Rexhbecaj, Giannoulis; Jensen, Claude-Maurice; Essende
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Urbig; Laimer, Dier, Kim, Guerreiro; Kimmich, Palhinha; Olise, Musiala, Sane; Kane
We say: Augsburg 1-1 Bayern Munich
Bayern may encounter difficulties on Friday given they are set to be without a number of key players in defence and midfield.
While Augsburg are not likely to pose a significant threat in the final third compared to their visitors, their strong defence could help them earn a point against the Bavarians.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Lewis Nolan
