Borussia Dortmund vs Augsburg
After coming so close to reclaiming the Bundesliga crown last season, Borussia Dortmund are set for another run at the title this year. And they will have a relatively easy assignment to begin their new campaign as they host Augsburg at Signal Iduna Park.
Augsburg just about escaped relegation last season as they finished in 15th. And with relatively little investment in the squad this summer, new manager Martin Schmidt will have his hands full keeping the Fuggerstädter up for another season.
In contrast, Dortmund have invested heavily in their squad in preparation for another title challenge. Meanwhile, the dynamic duo of Marco Reus and Jadon Sancho has remained intact and will look to pick up where they left off last year.
Talking Points
Dortmund’s perfect pre-season
Borussia Dortmund’s pre-season was picture perfect. Lucien Favre’s side won all six of their friendly matches, scoring at least three goals in every one of them.
They also produced an impressive 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the DFL Supercup and breezed past Uerdingen 2-0 in the DFB Pokal.
Paco Alcacer, the team’s leading goalscorer last season with 18 goals, has been in scintillating form this pre-season. He scored six goals in his six appearances, including four in his last three matches.
Dortmund’s dynamic duo of Jadon Sancho and Marco Reus has also been looking sharp and ready to make some Bundesliga 2019 highlights. The two had to carry most of the attacking load for Dortmund last season as they combined for 29 goals and 22 assists.
This season, though, they should get much more help from new signings Julian Brandt and Thorgan Hazard, who should be one of the top Bundesliga players to watch this season.
Brandt and fellow wide player Raphael Guerreiro are both injury concerns for the season opener, which will likely open the door for Hazard to start on the left.
Meanwhile, Mats Hummels should get his first start back at Signal Iduna Park following his return from Bayern Munich. The veteran centre-back will look to add some much-needed experience to a Dortmund defence which shipped 25 goals at home last season, which was middle of the pack.
But despite their leaky defence, they still ended up with the best home record (14 wins, two draws, one defeat), in large part due to a league-high 52 goals scored.
Augsburg’s awful defence
Augsburg’s eight-year stint in the Bundesliga almost came to an end last season as they were in the thick of the relegation battle. Luckily, they finished a good four points clear of the relegation play-off spot. But despite keeping them up, manager Manuel Baum was sacked after three seasons with the club.
Martin Schmidt has now been appointed as Augsburg boss for this season. This is Schmidt’s first job since 2018 when he resigned after just five months in charge of Wolfsburg.
Augsburg have brought in a number of new players this transfer window but no one particularly noteworthy. Their most expensive signing was goalkeeper Tomas Koubek, who cost €7.5 million.
However, the Bundesliga 2019 odds still have them as one of the favourites to go down this year, in large part due to concerns about their horrific defence. Augsburg shipped 71 goals last season, tied for the most in the entire league.
Despite not having a top-quality star, Augsburg’s attack was still more than adequate last season as they scored 51 goals. But only 17 of them were away from home, which contributed to their poor away form (three wins, four draws, 10 defeats).
History
Borussia Dortmund have had the better of Augsburg in their head-to-heads since the latter’s arrival in the Bundesliga. In 16 overall matches, Dortmund have won nine to Augsburg’s two, with five draws.
Although, Augsburg were surprisingly competitive in both matches against Dortmund last season. They came out on top 2-1 in their most recent meeting at home. And in their first matchup of the season at Signal Iduna Park, they pushed Dortmund hard in an exciting 4-3 affair.
Paco Alcacer bagged a terrific second-half hat-trick, which he capped off with a game-winning goal from a free-kick deep into stoppage time.
Betting Tip
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Borussia Dortmund vs Augsburg | Borussia Dortmund First Half 1X2 @ 1.64 |
| August 17, 21:30 (GMT+8) |
It would be quite astounding if Augsburg came away with a win over Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park. The SBOBET odds have the visitors as huge underdogs priced at 9.50 to win on the 1X2 market.
While Augsburg played Dortmund well in both matches last season, I don’t expect a repeat performance. Dortmund appears to be locked in at the moment and should be eager to take care of business in their home opener.
That’s why I predict that Dortmund will be on top by the end of the first half. With all their attacking talent coupled with Augsburg’s creaky defence, they are bound to score relatively early.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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