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Augsburg v Borussia Dortmund (Saturday 2.30pm)
Borussia Dortmund had their moments against Real Madrid on Tuesday night but in the end, the reigning European champions were just too good for them. Peter Bosz wasn’t happy with his side for always being “a step too late”.
“We have indeed played against a very good opponent but you have to defend better than that.”
It’s now two defeats from two in the Champions League then for Dortmund, but the picture is a lot rosier for them domestically. A fifth win in six games saw them take apart Borussia Mönchengladbach last weekend by six goals to one but even then, the same defensive frailties which were on show against Real Madrid were also evident.
Before the season, you wouldn’t have said that Augsburg were the side to exploit that. In fact, many were tipping Manuel Baum’s side to go down and yet they’ve made their best ever start to a Bundesliga season, taking 11 points from six games.
What’s more, they’ve been particularly dangerous on the counter, as Leipzig found out on their trip to the WWK-Arena. A rather rude gesture in that game from Augsburg captain Daniel Baier saw him suspended for their goalless draw last weekend away at Stuttgart but expect him to return to the heart of Baum’s midfield on Saturday.
Peter Bosz will no doubt rotate the side beaten by Real Madrid earlier in the week, with Christian Pulisic likely to return to the side. Leipzig made nine changes and lost to Augsburg just over a week ago but such is the way the Dortmund squad has been playing in the Bundesliga so far this season, you can envisage that they’ll rotate and win, even if Augsburg make life difficult for them.
- Score prediction: Augsburg 1, Dortmund 3 (10-1, Unibet)
- First goal prediction: Max Philipp (11-2, Unibet)
- Safe bet: Dortmund win (1-2, Unibet)
Munich-born Raphael Honigstein writes about football for Germany’s biggest broadsheet, Süddeutsche Zeitung, the Guardian, ESPNFC and his tips appear here thanks to our football partner at MrFixitsTips, Unibet. They're making a big splash in the UK betting scene and if you join them today you can claim up to £30 in Welcome Bonuses when you deposit and place your first bet.
Munich-born Raphael Honigstein writes about football for Germany’s biggest broadsheet, Süddeutsche Zeitung, the Guardian, ESPNFC and others. He’s a regular pundit on BT Sport’s European Football Show and the author of “Englischer Fussball: A German View of Our Beautiful Game”. His favourite food is Schnitzel, predictably.
