Second day of the weekend in the German Bundesliga is mostly reserved for at least two very interesting games and there is no reason to break that tradition this week. It is also the day when we seek redemption for possible flops that we made the day before or the day when we enjoy the extra cash we’ve got by edging some matchups the day before. Anyhow, here we’ll make some analysis of the first Sunday match between Hertha BSC and FC Augsburg so you can easily start or continue your winning streak.
HERTHA BSC vs. FC AUGSBURG
3-Way: 1: Hertha BSC -119; X: +260 Draw; FC Augsburg +459
Spread -0.5: Hertha -120; FC Augsburg +114
Total +2: Over -125; Under +124
HERTHA BSC
The Hertha BSC is not in a good form lately with three consecutive losses. They still rank pretty high in the league table as they are currently sixth with 40 points in 27 games but it won’t be the case for long if they continue the downslide. They are 2-1-5 in the last eight games including three consecutive defeats against Koln and Monchengladbach on the road and Hoffenheim at home.
Most recent win occurred on March 11th, when they defeated Borussia Dortmund at home, 2:1. Hertha is 2-1-1 in the last four home games and they’ve managed to score in 92 % of their home matches. Home record this season is 10-1-2 with 22-9 goal difference (35-34 overall) and they rank fifth in the home league table with 31 of 39 possible points earned (78% of their total points have been earned at home).
54% of Hertha’s home matches were under 2.5 goals and 92% of the games in front of their own crowd were under 3.5 goals. Most common results at home are 2:1 and 2:0 wins (both occurred four times). 100% of their home matches were under 2.5 goals at the half-time.
Vedad Ibisevic tops the team in scoring this year with 11 goals while Salomon Kalou has scored six goals. Together with Mitchell Weiser, Ibisevic also leads the team in assists as both got four for now. Defenders Niklas Stark and Sebastian Langkamp have most completed passes so far with 949 and 959.
Ondrej Duda (Thigh injury), Fabian Lustenberger (Groin injury) and Arne Maier (Knee injury) are expected to be back in early April while Mitchell Weiser (Thigh injury) should be available in late April. Julian Schieber (Knee injury) is out for the season. Sebastian Langekamp (Unknown), Marvin Plattenhardt (Illness) and John Anthony Brooks (Thigh injury) are all listed with minor injuries but are doubtful for Sunday game while Sinan Kurt (Ankle injury) has unspecified date of return.
FC AUGSBURG
The FC Augsburg’s survival hopes received a big blow in last round as they got defeated at home against direct rival in the battle for next year top Bundesliga play, FC Ingolstadt. Currently, they rank 16th with 29 points in 27 games. Losing home points against direct rivals is unacceptable and they’ll have to improve if they don’t want to disappoint their fans.
Opportunity for that comes on Sunday in Berlin where they’ll have the chance to pull out some kind of a positive result against the struggling hosts. FC Augsburg is 1-2-5 in last eight games and they are 1-0-3 in last four away games (they haven’t scored in the last two away games while conceding nine goals).
They’ve conceded at least one goal in each of their last 12 matches. Another interesting fact is that 73% of FC Augsburg’s goals have been scored in the second half. They are 4-3-6 on the road this season with 11-20 goal difference (26-43 overall) and they rank ninth in the away league table with 15 of 39 possible points earned (they’ve earned more points on the road than at home so far).
54% of their away matches are over 2.5 goals but 92% of their road games are under 3.5 goals in total. Most common result on the road is a 2:1 win (occurred three times). Halil Altintop and Konstantinos Stafylidis top the team in scoring this year with four goals each. Best assistants are Ja-Cheol Koo and Daniel Baier with three each while most succesfull passer is Paul Verhaegh with 965 total passes.
Martin Hinteregger (yellow cards) is suspended for the next match. Jeffrey Gouweleeuw (Knee injury) is out for the season while Raphael Framberger (Meniscus injury) should be back in mid April. Caiuby Francisco Da Silva (Knee injury) has unspecified date of return while Jan-Ingwer Callsen-Bracker (Broken leg, Ankle injury) is back in training.
Interesting fact about the matchups between these two teams is that their last seven encounters had only three goals scored in total and no game had more than one goal in total (four 0-0 draws and three 1-0 wins). That could finally change on Sunday as Hertha plays better at home and Augsburg plays better on the road this season. With the Hertha BSC returning to their home pitch we believe that they could also return to winning ways, which is why I am picking the home team to win.
MY PICK: Hertha BSC to win (-119)
