FC Augsburg vs. VfL Bochum: DFB-Pokal preview, team news & predicted lineups | OneFootball

Following their heaviest defeat of the season at home against RB Leipzig, Augsburg will host 2. Bundesliga side Bochum under the floodlights. 

FC Augsburg

Sandro Wagner seemed to turn it around with a win over Wolfsburg and a draw in Köln, but they’re now back in crisis talk after a 6-0 home defeat to Leipzig. The Bavarians conceded half of the goals inside the first 22 minutes.

With this being Wagner’s first job as a head coach, it’ll be interesting to see how he copes with the pressure of recovering from such results. The former Bayern Munich striker signed a three-year contract with the club in the summer.

Wagner started his job with a 2-0 Pokal win at fourth-tier Hallescher in the opening round. Augsburg made a rare quarter-final appearance last season when they were knocked out by the eventual winners, VfB Stuttgart.

Team News

It’s very common for coaches to make numerous changes after a dismal performance. Wagner will hope to avoid another disappointing performance at WWK Arena. Samuel Essende, who scored in the first round of the Pokal, could lead the attacking line once again.

VfL Bochum

Bochum are responsible for one of Augsburg’s early exits from DFB-Pokal. The two teams met in the same stage of the 2021/22 campaign, in which Bochum won on penalties.

The Rhine club finally got relegated to 2. Bundesliga, and they’re now in danger of another slump after a slow start to the new campaign. The sequence of poor results led to another managerial change, with Uwe Rösler replacing Dieter Hecking.

Rösler started brightly with a win over Hertha Berlin before a draw at home with Holstein Kiel. Bochum are hoping to avoid Arminia Bielefeld’s infamous feat of successive relegations.

Team News

Both Sissokos – Ibrahim and Ibrahima – are out with injuries. Kevin Vogt, who had to undergo knee surgery at the start of the month, will not return to one of his former clubs as well. Eighteen-year-old Francis Onyeka has been in top form, scoring nine goals in his last five games for Germany U18 and Bochum.

Predicted Lineups

Augsburg: Labrovic; Jakic ©, Matsima, Banks; Kade, Fellhauer, Massengo, Giannoulis; Rieder, Claude-Maurice; Essende

Bochum: Horn; Morgalla, Masovic, Strompf, Wittek;  Lenz; Bero ©, Onyeka; Wätjen, Holtmann; Hofmann