Newly promoted Fortuna Düsseldorf will hope to continue where they left off last season by picking up three points against visiting Augsburg on Saturday (kick-off 03:30 PM CEST/ 01:30 PM GMT/ 09:30 AM EST).
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Düsseldorf, who were crowned Bundesliga 2 champions in May following a dramatic final day victory at Nuremburg, are back in the top flight for the first time since 2012/13. Being the competitive season with a routine 5-0 win at Koblenz in the DFB Cup last Sunday, Fortuna are primed to start their season with a bang. New signings Dodi Lukebakio, Marvin Ducksch and Kevin Stöger all found the net in that game, so Friedhelm Funkel could opt to field a similar eleven in the opening weekend of the season.
Augsburg, who finished 12th in the top flight last term, opened the new campaign with a narrow 2-1 cup win at Steinbach as André Hahn began his second spell at the club by netting the winner. With last season’s 12-goal striker Alfred Finnbogason struggling to shake off an injury and new arrival Julian Schieber still unavailable, South Korea’s Dong-Won Ji could lead the line again. With the possible absence of their star striker, Philipp Max and Caiuby will play key roles in this opener, as they did throughout last season.
Probable line-ups
Düsseldorf: Wolf – Zimmer, Ayhan, Hoffmann, Gießelmann – Lukebakio, Stöger, Sobottka, Raman – Ducksch, Hennings. Absentees: Fink (calf), Wiesner (pubic bone), Froese (ankle) Coach: Friedhelm Funkel
Augsburg: Giefer – Schmid, Gouweleeuw, Hinteregger, Max – Khedira, Gregoritsch, Baier (c) – Hahn, Ji, Richter Absentees: Finnbogason (ankle), Schieber (knee) Coach: Manuel Baum