SC Freiburg – FC Augsburg
Interestingly, the Bundesliga opener at the Europa-Park Stadium will see two coaches who have taken completely different paths face each other. Julian Schuster, recently voted “Coach of the Year 2025,” is leading the Breisgauers into his second season as head coach and wants to establish his team in Europe again after a successful fifth-place finish last season. On the other side, Sandro Wagner is starting his first Bundesliga coaching career at FCA after the former DFB assistant showed promising signs in a 2-0 cup win against Halle and says he is “head over heels in love” with his new job in Augsburg.
Freiburg – Augsburg info
- Venue: Europa-Park Stadium, Freiburg im Breisgau
- Date and time: 23.08.2025, 15:30
- Competition: Bundesliga (Matchday 1)
Freiburg Form & Record Check
These three betting tips are based on a careful analysis of the current form of both teams and offer interesting value against the market assessment. The first tip for over 1.5 goals in the entire game seems almost foolproof: Freiburg has scored more than this mark in 80% of its last five games, while Augsburg has an impeccable 100% record. Augsburg’s defensive problems, exacerbated by personnel concerns, suggest a high-scoring game, especially since the Swabians have conceded goals in four of their last five games. The second tip for a Freiburg win in the second half at odds of 2.1 looks tempting, as Julian Schuster has prepared his team well physically and they have scored in 80% of their games after the break. Augsburg, on the other hand, have not drawn a single game in the second half of their last five matches and will be further weakened in attack without Claude-Maurice. The conservative tip of under 1.5 goals in the first half is based on the fact that both teams often start cautiously and Augsburg failed to score in the first 45 minutes of their last five games.
FC Augsburg is facing an important start to the season under new coach Sandro Wagner after the team struggled considerably in the second half of last season. The last four Bundesliga games were all lost, including bitter defeats in Stuttgart (0-4) and at home against Kiel (1-3). The former national team assistant coach was at least able to send out some positive signals in the DFB Cup match against Hallescher FC. The 2-0 win was hard-fought and by no means as comfortable as the result suggests. Wagner appeared very committed on the sidelines, almost nervous, which shows his great motivation but also highlights the pressure he is under. The loss of Alexis Claude-Maurice weighs heavily, as the Frenchman was one of the few creative minds in Augsburg’s game. The defense remains the main problem: in the last five competitive games, the team has only kept one clean sheet. With Maximilian Bauer and Elvis Rexhbecaj also missing, important pillars of the team’s build-up play are missing.
Augsburg form & record check
After the summer break, Freiburg is starting the new Bundesliga season in a thoroughly positive mood. The 2-0 win against Sportfreunde Lotte in the DFB Cup a few days ago was as expected, with Schuster rotating his squad cleverly and giving players like Eren Dinkçi a chance to show what they can do. The attacking player thanked him with the opening goal in the 43rd minute, before Lucas Höler sealed the victory in the 69th minute. Looking back at the last five competitive games, the picture is encouraging: three wins, one draw and only one defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt at the end of the season. The team’s accuracy in front of goal is remarkable, as they have scored at least once in all five games. However, the personnel situation is causing headaches: Max Rosenfelder, Philipp Treu, Nicolas Höfler, Daniel-Kofi Kyereh, and Igor Matanovic are all out, with the absence of veteran Höfler likely to be particularly noticeable.
Julian Schuster is likely to field his team in the tried-and-tested 4-3-3 formation. Atubolu will be between the posts, while the back four could consist of Kübler, Ginter, Lienhart, and Günter. In midfield, I expect Osterhage, Eggestein, and Grifo to form the central axis. Things could get interesting in attack: Manzambi, whom Schuster already helped make his Bundesliga debut, is likely to get another chance. Dinkçi and Höler will probably complete the attack. Important absences dominate the picture: Rosenfelder is out with a thigh injury, while Höfler has to sit out due to back problems.
H2H Freiburg – Augsburg Head-to-head comparison & statistics
Coach Sandro Wagner is likely to stick with a 4-4-2 formation for his first Bundesliga game after his successful cup debut against Hallescher FC. With Dahmen in goal and a back four of Wolf, Matsima, Gouweleeuw, and Giannoulis, the defense looks well structured. Things are looking more problematic in attack: Claude-Maurice is out with an ankle injury, forcing Wagner to reshuffle his personnel. Kömür and Pedersen could play on the wings, while Tietz and Mounié are options up front. Rexhbecaj and Bauer are also unavailable.
Both teams have to make significant changes to their line-ups. Freiburg lost one of their most important scorers, Ritsu Doan, to Eintracht Frankfurt after the Japanese player contributed 10 goals and 8 assists last season. Michael Gregoritsch also moved to Bröndby IF in Denmark. Augsburg will have to do without the injured Alexis Claude-Maurice at the start of the season, forcing Wagner to find alternative solutions in attack. The head-to-head record in recent years clearly favors Freiburg: the Sport-Club has won three of the last five encounters, losing only once and showing impressive dominance against the Fuggerstadt side, especially at halftime.
