Second-bottom VfL Bochum welcome European hopefuls Augsburg to Vonovia Ruhrstadion for Saturday's gameweek 29 Bundesliga contest, seeking to snap a three-match losing run.
The visitors' 11-match unbeaten run was halted by Bavarian rivals Bayern Munich last weekend, and Jess Thorup's men aim to respond to that 3-1 defeat against struggling hosts, who could end the round bottom if they lose and Holstein Kiel beat St Pauli.
Match preview
© Imago
Another setback on home turf was inflicted on Bochum last week, continuing the Blues' losing sequence, which now stands at three games ahead of gameweek 29.
Dieter Hecking's team have conceded at least three goals in those losses, suffering consecutive 3-1 defeats against Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen before DFB-Pokal finalists Stuttgart thrashed the 17th-placed side 4-0.
Die Unabsteigbaren's recent results mean they have been beaten four times in the last five top-flight contests, though the relegation-threatened club's only success was a shock triumph at league-leading Bayern Munich.
That victory saw Hecking's team overturn a 2-0 deficit to roar back to a 3-2 win; however, Bochum have not built on that encouraging success.
The Blues, two points shy of Heidenheim in the relegation playoff spot and six points from St Pauli, enter their 15th home match of the 2024-25 campaign on a three-match losing streak in front of their supporters, hoping to prevent a fourth to secure their first success in their stomping ground since defeating Borussia Dortmund in mid-February.
%20celebrates%20scoring%20for%20Augsburg%20on%20January%2015,%202025.jpeg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Alexis Claude-Maurice (No. 20) celebrates scoring for Augsburg on January 15, 2025")
© Imago
Augsburg will look to thwart those aspirations by securing maximum points, which would extend Bochum's losing run on home soil, Die Blauen's longest since losing five in a row between March and May 2010.
However, that outcome is contingent on Jess Thorup's team doing the double over their hosts for the first time in the German top flight, having claimed the reverse fixture 1-0.
The travelling support will welcome that as the Bavarians seek a return to winning ways after last week's defeat ended the club's 11-match streak (six wins) without losing.
Fuggerstadter had taken the lead and were level until Cedric Zesiger's sending-off on the hour left the European hopefuls shorthanded in the final half-hour, ultimately ending with Bayern scoring twice to secure the victory.
Despite the setback, Augsburg enter Saturday's match aiming to extend the club's eight-match undefeated run on their travels, with a 5-1 thrashing at Holstein Kiel in December being their last away disappointment.
Maximum points would benefit the 11th-placed team, who have an outside chance for continental football next season, given that the Bavarians are five points off sixth-placed Borussia Monchengladbach (44 points).
Finishing seventh may well suffice for Augsburg to secure qualification to the Conference League playoff round, though Thorup's team will need ninth-placed Stuttgart (40 points) to win the Pokal and finish in the top six of the competition.
With six games remaining, Augsburg will require a lot to go their way in the season's final stretch to return to Europe after a nine-year absence.
Team News
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Matus Bero (hip) and Gerrit Holtmann (muscle) will be assessed before Saturday's encounter, but the struggling hosts otherwise have a healthy squad.
Myron Boadu has netted 25% of Bochum's 28 goals this term, and the forward enters Saturday's clash striving to add to his seven top-flight efforts.
Augsburg are without the suspended Zesiger, who was dismissed on the hour against Bayern, while Reece Oxford, Robert Gummy and Yusuf Kabadayi are missing due to fitness or injuries, respectively.
Despite firing blanks in the Bayern loss, Alexis Claude-Maurice remains the away side's leading attacking threat, as evidenced by his nine goals, four of which have been match-winning strikes and three being game-opening efforts.
Only Harry Kane (eight), Jonathan Burkardt (seven), and Patrik Schick (five) have more game-clinching goals among current Bundesliga players, amplifying Claude-Maurice's contributions.
VfL Bochum possible starting lineup:
Horn; Oermann, Ordets, Bernardo; Passlack, Losilla, Sissoko, Krauss, Wittek; Hofmann, Boadu
Augsburg possible starting lineup:
Dahmen; Matsima, Gouweleeuw, Schlotterbeck; Wolf, Onyeka, Jakic, Giannoulis; Jensen, Claude-Maurice; Essende
We say: VfL Bochum 1-2 Augsburg
Augsburg have scored in all but one of their seven unbeaten away matches, finding the net in their last three before this weekend, and the Bavarians will aim to extend that run in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Thorup's men are expected to stretch their unbeaten sequence on the road to eight to end their wait for a double over Bochum and aid their prospects of ultimate continental qualification.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
