German Bundesliga
2026-08-30 - Augsburg vs Schalke 04
A Sports Betting Pick by Niko
Football; Germany: Bundesliga
WWK Arena - Augsburg
Sunday, 30th August 2026 - kickoff 17:30 CET
Augsburg
Augsburg are heading into their 16th straight Bundesliga season, and they have a great basis to build on after finishing ninth last term.
Augsburg are proud to be one of the very few teams that have never been relegated from the Bundesliga, and they intend to stay like that for a long time.
Manuel Baum took over during the previous campaign and helped turn things around, earning a permanent contract after Augsburg finished with their third-best Bundesliga placing last season.
Augsburg’s competitive opener was not especially convincing, though. Augsburg needed second-half goals from Anton Kade and Kristijan Jakić to beat second-tier Energie Cottbus 2-0 in the DFB Cup last week. Energie Cottbus actually had 22 attempts without scoring, while Augsburg managed just six shots, so the result was better than the performance.
There is also a small team-news concern. Alexis Claude-Maurice and Tim Breithaupt are unavailable, while Jeffrey Gouweleeuw is doubtful. The projected XI still has plenty of experience, with Michael Gregoritsch expected to lead the attack.
Schalke 04
Schalke 04 are back in the Bundesliga after three seasons away, having won the Bundesliga 2 title last season.
There is plenty of experience in the squad, most notably Edin Dzeko. The 40-year-old scored six goals and supplied three assists in 11 second-tier appearances after joining in January, and he has now stayed on for the top-flight campaign.
Their cup opener was much more dramatic. Schalke 04 fell behind against fourth-tier Hallescher FC and needed a 90th-minute equaliser from the hosts to force extra time. They eventually won 5-2, with Dzeko scoring twice and Moussa Sylla and Junior Adamu also finding the net. It was a good result, but the performance left plenty of questions.
Schalke 04 also have a few absences, including Kenan Karaman, Bryan Lasme and Adrian Gantenbein. That leaves Dzeko, Sylla and Dejan Ljubicic as some of the main attacking options for Miron Muslic.
The Betting Verdict
I would be careful with the home win, even though the odds look tempting and valuable.
Augsburg struggled to create against Energie Cottbus, while Schalke 04 showed plenty of attacking quality despite making hard work of their cup tie. Dzeko is also the sort of striker who can punish a defense that gives him even one good chance.
The goals line is interesting, with Over 2.5 currently around 1.60. Both sides have enough attacking players to make that tempting.
Augsburg have home advantage and the more settled Bundesliga squad, but Schalke 04 should not be underestimated on their return. I expect a tight game with chances at both ends.
My recommended bet is taking both teams to score at fair odds.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Augsburg 2-1 Schalke 04
BEST BETTING TIP :
Take both teams to score: YES at odds of 1.58 at Cloudbet
