Macht Bochum den Klassenerhalt perfekt?
The 31st matchday in the Bundesliga comes to an end on Sunday. The final match is a direct duel between two teams that have not yet secured their place in the Bundesliga. VfL Bochum awaits FC Augsburg at Castroper Straße. While the Revierklub has very good prospects of being in the first division again next season, the Fuggerstädter have to tremble much more.
Bochum are in a very good twelfth place and have 36 points to their name. With a home win, they could move very close to the magic 40-point mark. More importantly, they have a strong eight-point cushion on the relegation zone. With a home win, they could possibly celebrate staying in the league with their own fans on Sunday.
Things look much worse for FCA. Markus Weinzierl’s team is 14th and has four points less than VfL. That means the lead over the relegation place is only four points. With a defeat, the Fuggerstädter would be deep in the mire again. We wouldn’t make any predictions on the Puppeteers staying in the relegation places before the clash between Bochum and Augsburg.
However, the fact that the visitors from Augsburg have only lost once on a Sunday this season speaks in their favour. FCA are unbeaten for five games at the end of the week.
Bochum – Statistics & current form
The big trump card of VfL Bochum in the Bundesliga’s relegation battle is their home strength. The Revierklub took 25 of 36 points at Castroper Straße. That is 69 percent of their own points. This puts Thomas Reis’ team in tenth place in the home table. With the knowledge of this good record, the Bochum side should go into this encounter on Sunday as slight favourites.
Weak phase of VfL
However, the Bochum side have already shown some weaknesses in recent weeks. Perhaps they now feel that a long Bundesliga season costs a lot of substance. In any case, there was only one win from the last five games. Nevertheless, we tend to play the odds on a home win in the relegation duel between Bochum and Augsburg.
Last weekend, VfL Bochum were guests at SC Freiburg and had an absolutely useless day. Many key players did not come close to their normal form and so the final score was 0:3. To make matters worse, there was a novelty as Thomas Reis became the first coach in the Bundesliga to be shown an outright red card.
The coach will miss his team on Sunday. The same goes for former Augsburg player Konstantinos Stafylidis, who also saw a red card in Freiburg. In addition, Danilo Soares is out of action with hip problems. Herbert Bockhorn is likely to defend on the left instead. Simon Zoller could also make his comeback to the starting eleven after a long time out.
Predicted line-up of Bochum:
Riemann – Gamboa, Bella Kotchap, Leitsch, Bockhorn – Losilla – Osterhage, Rexhbecaj, Zoller, Holtmann – Polter – Coach: Gellhaus
Last matches played by Bochum:
Bundesliga
24/04/2022 – VfL Bochum 0 – 2 Augsburg
16/04/2022 – SC Freiburg 3 – 0 VfL Bochum
10/04/2022 – VfL Bochum 0 – 0 Bayer Leverkusen
02/04/2022 – Hoffenheim 1 – 2 VfL Bochum
Club friendlies
25/03/2022 – VfL Bochum 2 – 0 Heracles Almelo
Augsburg – Statistics & current form
Augsburg’s season is going off in waves again this year. Sometimes things go well and you get the impression that Markus Weinzierl’s team can pull away from the bottom of the table. Then there are more defeats and the team slips back down the table. Now, however, there should be no more prolonged phases of weakness, otherwise there will be no time left to eradicate further setbacks.
Away weak puppeteers
In the last two games, Augsburg have suffered two defeats. However, that could also be a good omen, as the Fuggerstädter have never conceded three defeats in a row this season. Perhaps, therefore, one could make a prediction on a point win for the visitors in the Bochum vs Augsburg match. However, it must be said that FCA have only won two of 15 away games this season.
Last weekend, the Puppeteers failed to score a big point in the relegation battle. Hertha BSC were guests at the WWK Arena and not much could have happened with a home win. The game was accordingly intense, but the old lady had the better end on her side. The Berliners took all three points with a 1:0 victory.
In terms of personnel, it looks like Florian Niederlechner and Daniel Caligiuri have survived their quarantine and are both options for a start. Uduokhai has overcome his muscular problems and could also be in the starting eleven. That means that with Noah Joel Sarenren Bazee and Tobias Strobl only the two long-term injured are missing.
Augsburg’s likely line-up:
Gikiewicz – Gumny, Gouweleeuw, Oxford, Iago – Maier, Dorsch, Caligiuri, Vargas – Hahn, Gregoritsch – Coach: Weinzierl
Last matches played by Augsburg:
Bundesliga
24/04/2022 – VfL Bochum 0 – 2 Augsburg
16/04/2022 – Augsburg 0 – 1 Hertha BSC
09/04/2022 – Bayern Munich 1 – 0 Augsburg
06/04/2022 – Augsburg 2 – 1 Mainz 05
03/04/2022 – Augsburg 3 – 0 VfL Wolfsburg
Bochum – Augsburg Direct comparison / H2H-Balance
You might not believe it, but VfL Bochum and FC Augsburg have actually only faced each other in four duels so far. Two games were in the second Bundesliga, one in the DFB Cup and one in the Bundesliga. The direct comparison speaks in favour of the Revierklub with 3:1 victories. There have already been two duels between the two rivals this season.
At the end of October, Bochum won at home in the DFB Cup after a penalty shoot-out, after the score was 2-2 after 120 minutes. At the beginning of December, the VfL then visited Augsburg in the Bundesliga and got off to a furious start. Goals from Sebastian Polter (2) and Gerrit Holtmann made it 3-0 at the break, with Gregoritsch and Caligiuri’s goals only cosmetically improving the result.
Bochum – Augsburg Tip
VfL Bochum can clinch a place in the Bundesliga with a win on Sunday, depending on the competition. Even if it is not enough, the Bochum team would be rid of all their worries with a home win. Especially at home, the Revierklub has continuously scored points. However, they will have to do without their suspended coach on Sunday.
Augsburg also have their strengths in their own arena. It’s just a shame that they have to play away on Sunday. They have only won two of their 15 away games this season. Most recently, they suffered two defeats in a row. We think you should do well with a bet on a home win in the match between Bochum and Augsburg.
Bochum have only won one of their last five games, but the atmosphere at Castroper Straße in particular will be outstanding, especially as they have their sights set on staying in the relegation zone. We can’t imagine that VfL will let this chance slip away. That’s why we have decided to play the betting odds on a home win in the Bochum vs Augsburg match.
