As Markus Weinzierl's FC Augsburg prepare to face Hamburger SV - managed by Josef Zinnbauer - at the SGL Arena on Saturday, they will fancy their chances of picking up all three points and remaining at the right end of the Bundesliga table.
Augsburg have had an impressive start to the Bundesliga campaign, collecting 18 points from 12 games. A strong return leaves them fightening it out amongst the Europa League places - sixth in a tightly-congested area near the top of Germany's top division. They are a mere two points adrift of Bayer Leverkusen in the remaining Champions League place, but they are also only six points clear of their opponents on Saturday, Hamburger, who are down in 15th. A positive result here or there can quickly change the league positioning in the Bundesliga - nobody, aside from Bayern Munich seems safe.
Augsburg will come into this game with confidence, after winning their previous Bundesliga fixture. A tightly-fought battle away at VfB Stuttgart swung in the favour of the visitors after an early red card tipped the balance of the match. A late penalty from Paul Verhaegh sent Augsburg into the top six, and they will be hoping they can remain there with three points against Hamburger this weekend.
For Zinnbauer and Hamburger, the game on Saturday represents a chance to fully take charge of their season and start to climb the Bundesliga table. With just 12 points from 12 games, Hamburger are 15th, but the tight nature of the league means that all it takes is to string together a few positive results and you are right back in the thick of the action. It is goal-scoring that remains a problem for Zinnbauer's side, as they have only managed six so far this campaign - a poor return and one which needs to increase quickly if they are to sort themselves out.
Hamburger are only out of the relegation zone based on a slightly better goal difference than Stuttgart, and three points would be valuable away at Augsburg this weekend. Zinnbauer's side will take heart from their last Bundesliga game, where they overcame Werder Bremen 2-0 to collect a much-need victory. Late goals from Artjoms Rudņevs - and a Raphael Wolf own goal - gave Hamburger a vital three points.
