Augsburg vs Bochum prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2023-09-01 13:30.
Two of the eight winless clubs from the first two rounds of the 2023/24 Bundesliga will need to get their defending up to scratch quickly, particularly as Augsburg and Bochum have potentially damaging clashes against UEFA-qualified clubs to follow this one. Augsburg were the latest German victims of the (Harry) Kane Train last weekend with a fifth consecutive loss away to Bayern (3-1), the fourth time in their last five league games in which they conceded at least a trio of goals.
Their recent history with Bochum has not been any more subdued, with the last two seasons of head-to-heads producing a pair of 3-2 Bundesliga losses as well as a 2-2 DFB-Pokal tie that Bochum won on penalties. Head coach Enrico Maaßen, midfielder Niklas Dorsch and forward Ermedin Demirović unanimously agreed their first 30 minutes against Bayern was a commendable performance, but all three were frustrated at having conceded the first two goals of the match for a fourth straight league outing.
There was nothing but “good feelings” for Bochum boss Thomas Letsch, who on his 55th birthday celebrated a 1-1 draw against league giants Borussia Dortmund by soaking up the applause of the vocal home fans in the terraced East Stand. The point was a bonus for Letsch who, in the lead-up to the game, just wanted aggression and intensity from the first minute irrespective of the result, and he got it with an opening goal inside the first 15 minutes.
It was certainly a bold statement in response to the opening week loss at the nearly relegated Stuttgart (5-0), but there’s still a lot more work to do to avoid repeating their own survival scrap of 2022/23, that saw the club heading into the Round 32 home game against Augsburg in 17th position. Bochum’s prior 1-0 win at Augsburg last November was one of just five Bundesliga away trips they took points home from (W2, D3, L12), which was amongst the league’s widest gulfs between home and away performances of that season.
Players to watch: Augsburg midfielder Elvis Rexhbeçaj will face former club Bochum a fortnight after collecting his maiden goal for his current club, whilst Bochum striker Christopher Antwi-Adjei will attempt to score in a third consecutive H2H.
Hot stat: Bochum conceded the opening goal in 15 of their last 19 Bundesliga away games.