Borussia Dortmund are looking to keep their momentum going heading into their Champions League semi-final second leg in Paris when they welcome Augsburg to Signal Iduna Park on Saturday (kick-off: 3.
30pm CEST).
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Augsburg LIVE blog!Dortmund bounced back from the disappointment of their 4-1 loss to RB Leipzig by beating PSG in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final first leg.
Niclas Fullkrug scored the only goal to not only give BVB the advantage in the tie, but also seal a fifth spot for the Bundesliga in next season's competitition.
Dortmund are now certain to be part of the expanded German cohort, either way.
With three games to go, they have an insurmountable 12-point cushion on sixth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, affording head coach Edin Terzic the welcome opportunity to make wholesale changes and keep his key players in peak condition for the trip to the French capital.
Donyell Malen does return from injury, while this could be the penultimate game at Signal Iduna Park for Marco Reus after he announced on Friday that he'll be leaving the club at the end of the season after 12 years.
Felix Nmecha, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Youssoufa Moukoko all also start, so too does 18-year-old Kjell Watjen who makes his first senior appearance.
Augsburg harbour European ambitions of their own.
Despite back-to-back defeats to Werder Bremen and Eintracht Frankfurt, Jess Thorup's side are just a point behind seventh place, which will be enough to take the lucky occupant into continental competition next season.
They face stiff competition, though, with at least another four teams in with a mathematical shot at a top-seven finish ahead of the 2023/24 campaign's final three rounds of fixtures.
Kristijan Jakic serves a mandatory one-match ban for an accumulation of yellow cards, paving the way for Tim Breithaupt to start in midfield.
Mads Pedersen continues at left-back, meanwhile, with Iago still carrying a knock that's kept him out of Augsburg's last four games.
Watch: Niclas Fullkrug's top 5 goals in 2023/24 Match stats Jadon Sancho scored his 40th Bundesliga goal last time out, overtaking Tony Woodcock as the Bundesliga's record English marksman.
Dortmund have won 15 of 22 games against teams outside the top six this season, drawing the other seven.
BVB are on a five-match winning run in home matches against Augsburg.
Ermedin Demirovic has scored in three of his last four meetings with Dortmund.
He's also scored in each of his two outings at Signal Iduna Park.
Augsburg have collected 15 points on the road so far this season - more than in each of the previous three campaigns.
Currently on 39 points, Augsburg are on course to reach the 40-point mark for the first time since 2017/18 (41 points).
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4M!CONFIRMED line-ups Dortmund: Kobel (c) - Wolf, Sule, Papadopoulos, Morey - Nmecha, Watjen - Malen, Reus, Bynoe-Gittens - MoukokoSubs: Meyer, Schlotterbeck, Ozcan, Brandt, Sabitzer, Can, Sancho, Fullkrug, AdeyemiOut: Bensebaini (knee), Haller (ankle)Coach: Edin TerzicAugsburg: Koubek - Mbabu, Gouweleeuw, Uduokhai, Pedersen - Uduokhai, Breithaupt, Maier - Vargas - Tietz, Demirovic (c)Subs: Lubik, Pfeiffer, Biel, Engels, Dorsch, Komur, Beljo, MichelOut: Framberger (knee), Gumny (knee), Iago (foot), Jakic (suspended), Jensen (calf), Oxford (illness), Rexhbecaj (ankle)Coach: Jess Thorup.
