Augsburg vs. Mainz 05 Preview: Match Analysis, Key Players, and Predictions

When Augsburg and Mainz 05 square off at the WWK Arena on Saturday afternoon, both teams will be aiming for their first Bundesliga victory of the year.

With four games completed, Mainz is at the bottom of the standings with just one point, while Augsburg is ranked 15th with two points.

Match preview

• Last weekend, Augsburg suffered a devastating 3-0 loss to RB Leipzig. David Raum, Lois Openda, and Xavi Simons all scored goals in the first half-hour to put the game beyond Fuggerstadter's control before halftime.
• In actuality, Augsburg's season began with a shocking 2-0 loss to Unterhaching in the DFB-Pokal first round, even though they had 16 shots and 64% of the possession against their lower-league opponents.
• Enrico Maassen's team lost 3-1 to Bayern Munich after a dramatic 4-4 tie with Borussia Monchengladbach on the first weekend of the Bundesliga season. They then twice blew leads to draw 2-2 with VfL Bochum.
• Augsburg's two points from a possible 12 this season after last weekend's loss at RB Leipzig are indicative of the team's defensive shortcomings, as only recently promoted Darmstadt has given up more Bundesliga goals than Fuggerstadter's 12.
• If Augsburg has had a difficult start to the season, Mainz has had an even worse start to the 2023–24 campaign. Bo Svensson's team is now bottom of the Bundesliga table after four games, having just managed one point this year.
• The 05ers' first league match saw them thrashed 4-1 by Union Berlin; the second weekend of the season saw them tie 1-1 with Eintracht Frankfurt, however the Eagles' equaliser in the 91st minute made the draw seem like a loss.
• following that, Mainz conceded four goals for the second time in three games as they lost 4-0 to Werder Bremen. Their problems persisted following the international break as Stuttgart won 3-1 at Mewa Arena last Saturday thanks to a hat-trick from Serhou Guirassy.
• Svensson's team has the joint-worst offensive record in the German top division since Mainz has only managed to score three goals in the league and has only collected one point out of a potential twelve this season.

Team News

• Raphael Framberger, Sven Michel, Masaya Okugawa, Japhet Tanganga, and Frederik Winther are among Augsburg's long list of injured players. Niklas Dorsch is questionable for Saturday's match as he continues to heal from a thigh problem.
• Patric Pfeiffer, Maximilian Bauer, and Felix Uduokhai will remain in the centre back positions, aligning in a 3-4-2-1 system. Ruben Vargas and Ermedin Demirovic will assist striker Dion Drena Beljo offensively.
• Jonathan Burkardt, Andreas Hanche-Olsen, Maxim Leitsch, Nelson Weiper, and Silvan Widmer are among the several Mainz players anticipated to miss this weekend's trip to Bavaria due to injuries.
• In an attempt to discover a winning formula, Svensson may use the same lineup as Maassen, which would entail Austrian attacker Karim Onisiwo leading the line on Saturday with Marco Richter and Lee Jae-sung operating right behind the striker.
• Possible starting lineup for Augsburg: Vargas, Demirovic, Beljo, Mbabu, Rexhbecaj, Dorsch, and Pedersen; Dahlmen, Pfeiffer, Bauer, and Uduokhai
• Zentner; Van den Berg, Bell, Fernandes; Mwene, Barreiro, Kohr, Caci; Richter, Lee; Onisiwo might be Mainz 05's starting lineup.