German Bundesliga Soccer - Fortuna Dusseldorf vs. Augsburg, 6/20/20 - Preview, Prediction & Odds
Two teams, battling to avoid relegation from the Bundesliga, meet up by the Rhine River, as 16th-placed Fortuna Dusseldorf play host to 14th-placed Augsburg. Kick-off - at 9:30 AM ET on Saturday, June 20.
Dusseldorf Draw In Leipzig
Fortuna Dusseldorf retained hope of escaping relegation this season after earning an important point in a 2-2 draw against 3rd-placed RB Leipzig away at Red Bull Arena on Wednesday. The hosts took a 2-0 lead in a span of three minutes in the second half before Steven Skrzybski cut Leipzig’s advantage in half with an 87th-minute marker, with Andre Hoffmann tying the contest with a header two minutes into injury-time. With two points in their last three contests (D2 L1), Die Flingeraner remain in the relegation play-off spot (W6 D11 L15), one point above 17th-placed Werder Bremen, chasing outright safety by five points.
With 14 league markers collected this season, German striker Rouwen Hennings leads Fortuna Dusseldorf in scoring. Goalie Florian Kastenmeier, meanwhile, sits 20th in the Bundesliga with 48 saves. He has picked up two clean sheets in 15 appearances this year and allows a goal every 50 minutes of play. Die Flingeraner has netted the 2nd lowest amount of goals so far this term (35) while recording the 13th highest quantity of shots per game (12.3). The team is 4th from the bottom in ball possession (45.9%) and 12th in passing accuracy (77.3%).
Augsburg Lose To Hoffenheim
A missed chance to secure safety from relegation was on the cards for Augsburg, who ended a two-game unbeaten run (W1 D1) with a 3-1 home defeat to Hoffenheim at WWK Arena on Wednesday. The visitors scored twice in a span of three minutes in the second half before Ruben Vargas headed home his fifth strike of the season, only for Die Kraichgauer to tally their third with one minute remaining on the clock. Die Fuggerstadter has now dropped to 14th place in the league (W9 D8 L15), sitting six points above the bottom three with two games remaining.
German forward Florian Niederlechner sits at the top of Augsburg’s scoring table, having buried 12 league goals so far this year. Andreas Luthe, meanwhile, occupies the 26th position in the Bundesliga’s goalie chart, having stopped 24 shots thus far this season. He has posted three clean sheets in nine appearances and gives up a goal every 74 minutes on average. Die Fuggerstadter have scored the 11th highest quantity of goals during the ongoing campaign (43), while taking the 2nd lowest amount of shots per game (10.8). The team is bottom of the league in both ball possession (41.2%) and passing accuracy (69.6%).
Prediction
The most realistic scenario for Fortuna Dusseldorf to remain in the Bundesliga for the next season is to finish in their current 16th place and win the relegation play-off. The team is five points below outright safety and needs Mainz to lose both of their upcoming fixtures to book a berth in Germany’s top tier without a play-off. And with Werder Bremen breathing down their neck just one point away in the 17th position, Die Flingeraner simply MUST triumph in their last two fixtures. This sheer desperation will definitely aid Dusseldorf, who has lost just two of their past 10 outings (W2 D6 L2). Augsburg has dominated this series of late, winning three of the previous four meetings (W3 L1), but need just a single point in their last two Bundesliga games to secure safety. Besides, the recent road form of Die Fuggerstadter has hardly impressed, with the team having lost six of its past eight travels (W2 L6), failing to score a single goal in five of them.
Best bets:
Fortuna Dusseldorf to win (-110)
Rouwen Hennings to score anytime (+110)