Bayern Munich: Three things to watch for in away clash at Augsburg
By Daniel Garza
Bayern Munich will conclude the first half of the Bundesliga season at Augsburg on Wednesday night. Die Roten bounced back with a victory against Freiburg on Sunday to increase their advantage over RB Leipzig at the top of the table by four points.
Their mid-week opponents enter this fixture in a mid-table position after losing their last two Bundesliga fixtures by a combined score of 6-1. This match promises to be an exciting encounter and here are three things to watch for as Bayern travel to Augsburg.
Increasing the advantage at the top
There may be an opportunity at hand for Bayern to increase their advantage at the top of the table on Wednesday. With Leipzig facing Union Berlin in their mid-week fixture, a victory for Bayern could further add to their current four-point advantage at the top.
Union Berlin has been a very difficult side to play against and Leipzig could very well drop points in this fixture. For this reason, a victory for Bayern will be important as they look to create separation at the top from the rest of the contenders for the Bundesliga title.
More from Bayern Strikes
- Bayern Munich: Tactical takeaways from 2-2 draw against Bayer Leverkusen
- Bayern Munich: Kingsley Coman set to be fit for Manchester United clash
- Bayern Munich unlikely to move for Trevoh Chalobah in January
- Bayern Munich: Key lessons from draw against Bayer Leverkusen
- Bayern Munich remains keen on hiring Max Eberl
Lewandowski looks to add to his record
Robert Lewandowski set a Bundesliga record for most goals scored in the first half of the Bundesliga season against Freiburg. With 21 goals in 15 appearances, the Bayern striker is off to a fantastic start to the 2020/21 campaign. He could further add to his record with more goals against Augsburg.
Lewandowski has scored at least one goal in his last six Bundesliga appearances and he will be looking to bring that streak into the second half of the domestic season.
Can Augsburg hold Bayern?
It’s going to be a difficult test for Augsburg to take away a point(s) against Bayern. They have struggled to score goals this season so far as they rank 14th in the Bundesliga in goals scored through Matchday 16. When it comes to total shots they rank 16th, and in shot-creating actions, they are 16th as well. They cannot allow this match to turn into a frenzy of goals as they likely won’t be able to keep up with the offensive firepower Bayern possess.
Next. Bayern Munich: Takeaways from crucial win against Freiburg. dark
Augsburg will have to rely on their strong goalkeeping and defensive work to get a result. Goalkeeper Rafael Gikiewicz has been one of the top goalkeepers in the Bundesliga this season. He ranks third in save percentage and third in total saves made. Gikiewicz will need to produce a top-class performance if Augsburg are to take a positive result away from this match.
The Augsburg goalkeeper could get some help from players such as Daniel Caligiuri and Carlos Gruezo in the midfield. Both Caligiuri and Gruezo rank among the top 10 in the Bundesliga in tackles and could disrupt the Bayern attack in the midfield.