Augsburg and Hannover fighting for survival
FC Augsburg are hoping to pull away from the relegation zone when they travel to basement club Hannover 96 on Sunday evening (kick-off: 17:30CET/16:30GMT).
Watch: Augsburg 1-3 FC Bayern
Augsburg fell to Bavarian rivals FC Bayern München 3-1 last time out, though the form of Raul Bobadilla – who grabbed his fourth goal of the season late on against the league leaders – is encouraging as Markus Weinzierl’s team go in search of their first win of 2016.
Hannover lost 1-0 at Borussia Dortmund last Saturday, meaning the Die Roten are still without a point, let alone a win, since the turn of the year.
Watch: Dortmund 1-0 Hannover
History
Matchday 5 rewind: Augsburg 2-0 Hannover
Goals: 1-0 Esswein (29’), 2-0 Verhaegh (32’)
Matchday 22 - match stats
- Hannover are still without a point in 2016, having lost their last seven Bundesliga games.With 15 losses Hannover already seem doomed. No team with so many defeats after 21 games has ever gone on to secure their Bundesliga survival at the end of the season.Augsburg’s 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture was their first win this season. It was also their first win over Die Roten in 11 attempts.Hannover have won each of their previous three home games against Augsburg.Thomas Schaaf is still without a win against FC Augsburg as a Bundesliga coach. Previously coach of SV Werder Bremen and Eintracht Frankfurt, Schaaf’s record against FCA reads: no wins, three draws and three defeats.Augsburg have only picked up two points since the winter break, which is their lowest-ever return for the start of the second half of a Bundesliga season.
Possible line-ups
Hannover: Zieler - H. Sakai, Milosevic, C. Schulz, Prib - Hoffmann - S. Sané, Bech - Kiyotake - Hugo Almeida, A. Sobiech
Absentees: Andreasen (light training), Benschop (knee)
Augsburg: Hitz - Verhaegh, Hong, Klavan, Max - Kohr - Feulner - Esswein, Koo, Caiuby - Ji
Absentees: Callsen-Bracker (shin), Baier (light training), Framberger (knee)