Augsburg vs RB Leipzig Prediction: Fast starter Sesko to fire first at WWK Arena

It's been an uncertain start to February for Augsburg, who have drawn away to St. Pauli (1-1) and at home to Mainz (0-0) in the Bundesliga either side of a 1-0 defeat to Stuttgart in the DFB Pokal. The Fuggerstadter did win their last three matches in January, though, meaning they head into Friday night's fixture with RB Leipzig at the WWK Arena (19:30, Sky Sports Mix) unbeaten in their last five league games.

Below are my Augsburg vs RB Leipzig predictions, complete with all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Reece Oxford, Yusuf Kabadayi (both knee), Jeffrey Gouweleeuw (back), Robert Gumny (groin) and Mergim Berisha (hamstring) are out injured for Augsburg, while illness could prevent Chrislain Matsima, Keven Schlotterbeck and Elvis Rexhbecaj from featuring on Friday.

With Augsburg's three starting centre-backs against Mainz - Schlotterbeck, Gouweleeuw and Matsima - potentially all out injured, Noahkai Banks, Mads Pedersen and David Deger could be promoted from the bench.

Jess Thorup's side will welcome Dimitrios Giannoulis back from suspension, though, while Steve Mounie may be available after illness kept him out against Mainz.

Football Odds

Hungarian centre-back Willi Orban is banned for RB Leipzig after receiving a red card in his side's 2-0 win over St. Pauli last Sunday, while Benjamin Henrichs (Achilles), Assan Ouedraogo, Antonio Nusa, Xaver Schlager (all knee) and Yussuf Poulsen (thigh) are out injured.

El Chadaillle Bitshiabu could start in place of Orban while Christoph Baumgartner and Loic Openda will be knocking on Marco Rose's door hoping for returns to the starting XI this week.

Augsburg vs RB Leipzig Odds

Augsburg have won five of their 10 Bundesliga home games this season and are 9/4 to make it six from 11 on Friday, implying a 30.8% probability, while RB Leipzig are 23/20, or a 46.5% chance, to record back-to-back victories for the first time since December 15.

The corresponding fixture last season ended on level terms as the two teams played out a 2-2 draw at the WWK Arena; you can back another stalemate here at 5/2, with both teams to score priced at 8/13.

Benjamin Sesko and Openda were Leipzig's scorers in Augsburg last season and they head the anytime goalscorer market on Friday at 8/5 and 13/8 respectively, while Augsburg's leading marksmen this term, Alexis Claude-Maurice and Samuel Essende, who have scored 11 Bundesliga goals between them, are 21/10 and 11/5 respectively for the visitors.

Draw No Bet - Augsburg @ 5/4

A five-game unbeaten run, in which they have picked up 11 points, has seen Augsburg move well away from the relegation zone, with 16th-placed Heidenheim 13 points behind them heading into the next round of fixtures, and the Fuggerstadter are now looking upwards. Freiburg (sixth) are only six points ahead and victory on Friday would cut the gap on fourth-placed Leipzig to six points and push them above Borussia Dortmund, who take a trip to Bochum the following day.

Leipzig, meanwhile, ended a four-game wait for a win in the Bundesliga by beating St. Pauli last Sunday, although they are still without a victory on their travels since December 7 and have won just one of their last seven away matches, losing four times.

Die Roten Bullen are weakened on Friday by the suspension of experienced defender Orban, who has played all but two of Leipzig's league matches this season, and the expected absence of Nusa, who started at the Red Bull Arena last weekend, further depletes Rose's options.

Augsburg are missing several first-teamers themselves but are buoyed by a lengthy unbeaten run in the league, last tasting defeat in the Bundesliga on January 12, and will fancy their chances this week against stuttering opposition.

Backing a home win is tempting at 9/4, but I prefer the insurance policy of 'Draw No Bet' - still above EVS at 5/4 - meaning that if the scores are level at the end of Friday night's contest, our stakes will be returned. Augsburg have drawn their last two league games, and Leipzig two of their last three, while the sides played out a stalemate in the corresponding fixture last season, so it's worth covering our backs here.

First Goalscorer - Benjamin Sesko (RBL) @ 5/1

Sesko is a favourite of mine in this market, and for good reason - the Slovenian striker has opened the scoring 12 times for club (10) and country (two) this season, and his last three goals have been the first of the match, the most recent of which came in last Sunday's 2-0 victory over St. Pauli.

The 21-year-old has scored 20 goals across all competitions for Leipzig and Slovenia since the start of the 2024/25 campaign, meaning 60 per cent of his efforts have been the first goal of the game.

Sesko opened the scoring in September's reverse fixture as he bagged a first-half brace in a 4-0 thrashing of Augsburg at the Red Bull Arena, with Openda and Xavi Simons netting the home side's third and fourth goals respectively after the interval.

He didn't grab the first goal in last season's 2-2 draw at the WWK Arena but still managed to get on the scoresheet, putting Rose's men 2-1 up in the 52nd minute only for Ermedin Demirovic to equalise eight minutes later.

At 5/1, Sesko is fantastic value to open the scoring on Friday, especially considering Augsburg have conceded first in two of their last three matches.

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