Augsburg – Stuttgart: Five-Star Away Performance (2-5)

Stuttgart had a commanding start as they took a three-goal lead just a little more than half an hour into the game. Wide combinations, movement, crosses, and a strong counter-press enabled Sebastian Hoeneß’s side to enter the second period comfortably. Augsburg were positive in the second half and even scored twice, but each time they did, Stuttgart responded and sealed a 5-2 win.

Tactical analysis and match report by Fahd Ahmed.

Augsburg have found their feet in recent weeks, gaining momentum since late January after their shock 2-1 win against Bayern Munich. Since then, they have picked up four victories in five games, which pushed Augsburg up the Bundesliga table. That form was halted in back-to-back matches as they faced two teams fighting for Champions League qualification – Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig. To prevent three consecutive losses, they had a tough fixture against Sebastian Hoeneß’s side.

Stuttgart have endured a patchy couple of weeks as they attempt to balance Europa League games with their domestic ambitions. Hoeneß would not have to worry about that anymore, though, since Stuttgart were unfortunately knocked out in the Round of 16, having lost 4-1 on aggregate against Francesco Farioli’s Porto.

Manuel Baum only made two changes to the team that started against Dortmund. In midfield, Kristijan Jakić was replaced by Elvis Rexhbeçaj. On the right side of Augsburg’s back three, Noahkai Banks was preferred to Arthur Chaves.

With an intense midweek fixture on Thursday evening, Hoeneß was bound to refresh his team for Sunday. There were five alterations to ensure Stuttgart could match Augsburg’s energy. Ermedin Demirovi . . .