Augsburg and Hoffenheim are back in action this Friday night in the Bundesliga. This is a tale of two teams fighting to retain their place in the top flight although Augsburg is more likely to be safe at the end of the season. I expect the hosts to give the visitors a run for their money and the value placed on Augsburg to win or draw is more enticing and that would be my prediction for this game. Here's why the hosts can avoid a defeat in the game:
[1] Augsburg is a team that plays very well at home irrespective of who they are facing. There have been more celebrations than defeats especially since the new year whenever Augsburg is at home. They have won their last three games at this venue; all but the same scoreline on 1-0. Even Bayern Munich can testify to Augsburg's quality as the Bavarians lost by a goal to nil in their Bundesliga clash away to Augsburg. This is a very difficult game even for the big teams in the league and with fears of relegation surrounding the club, I don't see Augsburg losing at home to Hoffenheim.
[2] Hoffenheim is winless in their last 11 competitive games stretching from 18/10/22 till now. They are one of the worst teams in the German Bundesliga right now and are two points below Augsburg. Hoffenheim is struggling to pick up points in the league even against the bottom sides, their last victory in the Bundesliga was over four months ago. This is one of the easiest bets in the Bundesliga as Augsburg would be facing a team with four straight defeats in all competitions. VFL Bochum, another poor team in the league, thrashed Hoffenheim 5-2 on 4th February.
Augsburg has always escaped relegation in the last few seasons and now they must do their best to get closer to safety with more than half of the games already played. There is no doubt about their quality especially when they play at home and coupled with Hoffenheim's disastrous season, I'm backing the home team to win or draw.
