Schalke Vs Augsburg
Sunday, 24 May 2020 – 12:30 Kick-Off
German Bundesliga
Pick: Draw
Odds: 5/2
Bookmaker: Betway
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 19 May 2020)
Preview: Sides in urgent need of a win meet in Gelsenkirchen for Sunday’s first of three games from the German Bundesliga. Schalke, without a win in eight, will seek a positive result at home to free-falling FC Augsburg who are bidding to avoid a fifth straight loss.
German Bundesliga Betting at 22Bet
Table of Contents
Schalke Preview – European aspirations dwindling?
In accordance with what is now becoming standard protocol in these testing times, there will be no fans in attendance at Veltins-Arena for Sunday’s early kick-off. Which is a shame, as I suspect the home support would have strong opinions on last week’s inept display in the Revierderby, going down 4-0 away to bitter rivals Borussia Dortmund as Schalke’s (8th – W9 D10 L7, GF33 GA40) long barren spell without a Bundesliga win stretches on.
David Wagner has done remarkably well as their manager to transform this team’s fortunes, having initially inherited a side that barely avoided relegation last time around. However, four draws and as many defeats across their previous eight games, scoring only twice whilst failing to locate the back of the net in six, is a drastically poor run and has been to the detriment of their league position.
The Royal Blues are on the slide and currently reside outside of the European places in eighth. Only a win can lift them out of their rut, and there is more chance of that materialising in Gelsenkirchen. At home this season Schalke rank as the seventh-best side in the division, losing only two of thirteen said matches thus far (W5 D6 L2) whilst restricting nine visiting sides to one goal or less.
Augsburg Preview – Relegation becoming a genuine concern?
One of last week’s hard luck stories, FC Augsburg (14th – W7 D6 L13, GF37 GA54) now find themselves in real peril after succumbing in the dying embers against Wolfsburg. Their frustrations merely compounded by what seemed – to me, at least – a harsh offside call which prevented them from taking a 2-1 lead, only to lose by that very scoreline when conceding the decisive goal in second half stoppage-time.
As valiant a showing as it was last time out, the table and form does not make for particularly encouraging reading. Since January, coach Heiko Herrlich has overseen a marked decline in results, recording one win – at home to a struggling Werder Bremen who were thrashed 4-1 by Leverkusen on Monday – and claiming just four of a possible 27 points (W1 D1 L7) to sit four points above the relegation play-off.
Furthermore, only the most ardent and pessimistic of supporters must be feeling confident ahead of this next fixture. Since their last win over Schalke, in December of 2015, Augsburg have won none and lost four of eight Bundesliga meetings. They’ve never beaten their opponents as the away side meanwhile, with this set to be their ninth attempt having lost on six of eight prior visits.
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Schalke Vs FC Augsberg Betting Advice
With neither in any sort of form, investing much confidence in this pair isn’t coming naturally. Recent encounters between the two would suggest Schalke are poised to end their lengthy period without a win, while their form at home this season has been solid for the most part, losing only twice in Gelsenkirchen in 2019-20. Moreover, Augsburg are among the poorest away sides with only Frankfurt collecting fewer points than their 9 in 13 outings (W2 D3 L8).
Schalke Vs Augsburg Key Facts
- Since a 2-0 victory at home to Monchengladbach on 17 January, Schalke have gone eight consecutive Bundesliga games without a win (D4 L4).
- Defeat at home to Wolfsburg last weekend made it four in a row for Augsburg, who have lost eight of their last ten Bundesliga fixtures (W1 D1 L8).
- Schalke have certainly had the upper hand in this fixture, particularly at home, winning six and losing none of their eight meetings at Veltins-Arena.
It isn’t often that Unders (2.5) is odds-on (19/20 Unibet) for a top-flight Bundesliga game, however that is exactly what we have here. Schalke are averaging a modest 1.38 goals per game at home this term whereas Augsburg, who are without a goal in four successive away games, are down at 0.92 on their travels. Last season’s corresponding fixture was a dull 0-0 stalemate, which cannot be ruled out on Sunday.
Best Betting Odds for Schalke Vs Augsburg
Schalke – EVENS (Ladbrokes)
Draw – 5/2 (Betway)
Augsburg – 29/10 (Betfair)
