Augsburg vs Borussia Dortmund preview - Slow starters set for Friday tussle

Posted Thursday, August 28, 2014 by PA

Augsburg and Borussia Dortmund are both hoping to pick up their first points of the season when they clash at the Augsburg Arena on Friday night.

While the hosts started the season with defeat in Hoffenheim, Dortmund uncharacteristically threw away the points with a 2-0 defeat at home to Bayer Leverkusen on the opening day of the season.

Dortmund will be looking to make a statement before the rest of the league are in action this weekend by maintaining coach Jurgen Klopp's record of never having failed to win at least one of his first two games in a season.

"These are two teams who can do a lot better than they've shown so far," said Klopp at a press conference.

"We want to cause our opponents many problems so that they have to wait at least another week to get back on track.

"We need the points, and my team thinks the same. We've got to show our true colours."

Augsburg also need the points, although their coach Markus Weinzierl, voted by his colleagues as the best coach in the Bundesliga last season, is not under any necessary pressure to deliver.

"Markus Weinzierl is the perfect coach for us," Augsburg director of sport Stefan Reuter told Sport Bild magazine.

"He doesn't need to worry about his job. Nothing is going to come between us."

Certainly a defeat to Dortmund, a result which most clubs in the Bundesliga will already have accounted for this season, would not affect Weinzierl's standing.

"If we are to beat them, then we need a perfect day," said Weinzierl. "But then we are capable of creating an upset."

Dortmund arrive in Bavaria still without defender and new captain Mats Hummels, but Roman Weidenfeller will return in goal and take the captain's armband off Marco Reus, who wore it for the first time last weekend.

Augsburg are without Jan Moravek, who will miss the entire first half of the season, but Sascha Molders is keen to break into the starting XI after turning down a move to Nurnberg.