Dortmund gegen Schlusslicht Augsburg

 

Borussia Dortmund trifft am 10. Spieltag der Fußball-Bundesliga auf den FC Augsburg.

Unter der Woche konnten beide Teams einen Sieg feiern - Der BVB setzte sich in der UEFA Europa League gegen FK Qäbälä durch, Augsburg eroberte beim AZ Alkmaar drei Punkte.

In der Liga läuft es dagegen für den FCA so schlecht wie schon lange nicht mehr. Die Mannschaft steht vor dem schwierigen Auswärtsspiel in Dortmund am Tabellenende.

Dortmunds Trainer Thomas Tuchel will sich davon aber nicht täuschen lassen: "Ich wäre sehr glücklich, wenn wir uns von der Tabellensituation freimachen könnten." Augsburg gehöre nicht auf den letzten Tabellenplatz, die nicht lange "da unten drin" bleiben werde.

Aber auch wenn der Coach warnt, die Tabellenzweiten aus Dortmund gehen als klarer Favorit in das Spiel. Das weiß auch Augsburgs Trainer Markus Weinzierl: "Dortmund ist eine Rießenaufgabe."

Die Marschroute gegen die Schwarz-Gelben gab Manager Stefan Reuter aus: "Dortmund hat eine enorme Qualität und eine super Geschwindigkeit in der Offensive. Da musst du dagegen halten."

Dortmund host Augsburg with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in fine form

It has been nearly a month since Borussia Dortmund's last match at the Westfalenstadion, a frustrating 2-2 draw against Darmstadt. After playing in Thessaloniki, Munich, Mainz and Baku, the Black and Yellows will host FC Augsburg on Sunday hoping to build momentum.

Augsburg finished fifth in a fairytale 2014-15, two places above Dortmund, and they qualified for the Europa League. However, as so often the case for smaller Bundesliga teams punching above their weight, their own success has come back to haunt them.

Teams are giving Markus Weinzierl's side less space, which is difficult for teams who relish playing the role of underdog. They thrived on their collective strength last season and rarely made changes to their first XI but after losing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Abdul Rahman Baba in the summer -- while key players like Daniel Baier have dipped in form -- results have started to go awry.

Augsburg enter the match bottom of the table with only five points to their name and the additional strain of the Europa League will hardly be of much help to lift their thin squad out of the relegation zone.

But that doesn't necessarily make the visitors easy pickings for BVB. Weinzierl's side managed to draw at Leverkusen and came close to taking points of Bayern Munich away from home too.

However, this is a match where Dortmund have to take three points and rediscover their stride. They have failed to fully control the opposition in recent matches and their defensive flaws have been exposed. Even Qabala, who are greatly inferior to Dortmund, created three excellent chances in the opening 15 minutes of the match on Thursday, although Thomas Tuchel's men eventually prevailed 3-1.

Tuchel admitted he has to improve his side's defensive routines at his Saturday news conference to preview the game. Just six days between the 2-0 win at Mainz and the trip to Qabala was not enough for the coach to sure up his backline.

Whether or not Augsburg are able to expose Dortmund will depend on their fitness. The trip to Baku was certainly tiring for BVB's players, yet it won't be a disadvantage this time, since the visitors will have had to deal with trips to Alkmaar and Dortmund between Thursday and Sunday.

Tuchel has the luxury of an almost fully fit squad to choose from. Apart from the long-term injured duo Nuri Sahin and Erik Durm, everyone else is available. It is almost a novelty for a Dortmund coach to have this many options and supporters can look forward to a well-rested Henrikh Mkhitaryan featuring as well.

The Armenian didn't travel with the team to Azerbaijan and can team up with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang again, who is in the form of his career.

The Gabonese failed to claim a record of scoring in nine consecutive Bundesliga games as he failed to net against Mainz but he assisted both goals and got back on the scoresheet against Qabala with a hat trick. Aubameyang has scored 17 goals in 16 games so far, making him the "benchmark for everyone else in the team," according to Tuchel.

And as Aubameyang is creating benchmarks, he will soon attract the interest of Europe's heavyweights. Dortmund, though, should be relaxed about the future of their star striker, considering his contract is valid until 2020.

Though Aubameyang is BVB's main man, there is a pressing issue looming. Adrian Ramos is hardly the player who can replace Dortmund's prolific striker should the time come.

The Colombian, who was bought from Hertha Berlin for €10 million in 2014, has only racked up 27 minutes under Tuchel. Ramos is hardly an alternative to Aubameyang, so Dortmund fans will be hoping Europe's top clubs steer clear when the January transfer window opens.