Augsburg and Mainz get round four of the German Bundesliga underway when they square off at WWK Arena on Friday. Both sides head into the weekend off the back of contrasting results, with Bo Henriksen’s men losing at home against Werder Bremen.
Augsburg picked up their first win of the 2024-25 Bundesliga campaign last weekend when they edged out St. Pauli 3-1 at the WWK Arena.
Before that, Jess Thorup’s side were on a seven-game winless run in the league, losing six and claiming one draw since beating Union Berlin 2-0 in mid-April.
Augsburg Form
Augsburg are currently sitting in 11th spot after taking four points from their opening three league games. They kicked off the campaign with a 2-2 home draw against Werder Bremen, before they fell to a heavy 4-0 defeat to Heidenheim in their final outing before the international break.
Jess Thorup's side ultimately produced a positive response on their return from the two-week break, dispatching St. Pauli by a 3-1 scoreline to clinch their first league win of the season. Marius Wolf, Phillip Tietz and Yusuf Kabadayı all got on the scoresheet to end Augsburg’s three-game winless home run in the top flight.
The Fuggerstädter are now preparing for another home outing as they look to claim consecutive league victories for the first time since March. Augsburg will take confidence from the fact they have won six of their last seven home league games against Mainz.
Mainz Form
Mainz, meanwhile, failed to get up and running in the new league campaign as they were beaten 2-1 by Werder Bremen at Mewa Arena last Sunday.
This followed a 1-0 friendly loss against 2. Bundesliga side Darmstadt on September 4 which saw their four-game unbeaten run across all competitions come to an end.
Mainz have failed to win their opening three league games, picking up two points from a possible nine to sit 15th in the table, two points and four places behind Friday’s hosts.
Head-to-Head
Augsburg enjoy home advantage, when visitors Mainz 05 swing by on Friday for a clash in the Bundesliga. The former will be looking to make that home advantage count.
While Mainz 05 find themselves on the 15th spot in the table with miserable two points after three rounds, Augsburg have fought their way to four points which leaves them 11th in the standings at the very moment.
Mainz 05 could be excused for feeling a little down on their luck, as they find themselves on the 15th place in the league table with meagre two points as three rounds of the season are behind us. The opponents Augsburg have fought their way to four points which leaves them sitting 11th in the Bundesliga table.
Nobody likes to be on the losing side, especially so early into a new season. Augsburg and Mainz 05 are no exception in this respect. Both teams are eager to improve from last term, leading us to expect an exciting affair at WWK Arena.
Augsburg took a hit when Mainz 05 handed them a 1-0 defeat in their latest encounter. The former did win the reverse match though, as they secured a triumph to their name by claiming a 2-1 win.
Team News
Augsburg are unable to call upon Daniel Klein, Reece Oxford, Robert Gumny and Masaya Okugawa.
Mainz boss Bo Henriksen is hopeful that Andreas Hanche-Olsen will be available after missing the defeat to Bremen with a head injury.
Prediction
Buoyed by their impressive display against St. Pauli, Augsburg will head into the weekend with renewed confidence as they look to secure back-to-back league wins.
Thorup’s men boast a dominant home record in this fixture and we are tipping them to beat the out-of-sorts Mains.
Prediction: Augsburg 2-1 Mainz
Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Augsburg to win
Tip 2: Over 2.5 goals - Yes (There have been at least three goals scored in five of the last six meetings between the two teams)
Tip 3: Both sides to score - Yes (Both sides have scored in five of their last six clashes)
Key Player Stats
It is the beginning of a new Bundesliga campaign, and both Augsburg and Mainz 05 will be looking for their main strikers this season. Accordingly, we have listed some of the in-form players who are expected to be getting it on for each team this season.
Augsburg
Augsburg won five of the previous 10 home matches across all tournaments, while drawing two and losing three as well. Mainz 05 won three from a possible 10 away from home, as they also drew four and lost three in this run. Goals are flowing freely for Augsburg on home soil currently, as both teams scored in six of their last 10 matches here. Both teams were also on target seven times in Mainz 05''s last 10 league games away from home.
Mainz 05
The last ten encounters between Augsburg and Mainz 05 saw over 2.5 goals scored seven times, with Augsburg averaging 1.4 goals a game. Mainz 05 scored 1.4 goals on average in these, as both teams scored seven times in this run. Augsburg saw over 2.5 goals in nine of their last ten matches across all tournaments, as they scored an average of 2.1 goals during this run. Over 2.5 goals came out in eight of the last 10 matches Mainz 05 played across all tournaments. They managed to score an average of 3.5 goals themselves during this run.
Conclusion
The Bundesliga season is in full swing, and the battle for survival is already heating up. Augsburg and Mainz 05 will be hoping for a strong start to their respective campaigns, and this clash is set to be a key early season encounter. Both teams are looking for their first win of the season and a victory for either team will be a huge boost to their confidence.
Augsburg will be looking to capitalize on their home advantage and will be hoping to build on their impressive display against St. Pauli. Mainz 05, on the other hand, will be looking to get back to winning ways and will be hoping to turn their fortunes around after a disappointing start to the season.
