Battling it out for a place in the DFB-Pokal's last 16, Bundesliga side Augsburg will host fallen giants Schalke 04 on Tuesday.
While the hosts shocked Borussia Dortmund at the weekend, easing their top-flight woes, Schalke lost a seven-goal thriller and remain mired in the bottom half of the second-tier table.
Match preview
After losing three of their previous four matches, Augsburg claimed maximum points at home to one of Germany's giants on Saturday afternoon, as they fought back from conceding an early equaliser to Dortmund.
Nuri Sahin's sub-par Schwarzgelben were undone by an Alexis Claude-Maurice brace at WWK-Arena, where the French forward was making his first start for the Bavarian club.
Scoring with both of his shots on target, Claude-Maurice ultimately proved the match-winner in a 2-1 success, pulling Augsburg further away from the Bundesliga drop zone.
Jess Thorup's side have now won three and lost three of their last six league games, making them somewhat unpredictable, though regular lapses of concentration can be safely relied upon.
Conceding another goal at the weekend means Die Fuggerstadter have the top flight's second-worst defensive record, as they resume a cup campaign that began with a 4-1 win over Viktoria Berlin back in August.
Schalke overcame VfR Aalen in the first round, progressing via a 2-0 away win more than two months ago, but since then they have struggled.
In fact, the seven-time German champions have recorded only two victories in the 2. Bundesliga this season - and none since the end of September.
Their latest setback came at the weekend, when Felipe Sanchez was sent off early in the second half of a home game against Greuther Furth; despite scoring twice after his dismissal, Schalke still went on to lose 4-3.
New boss Kees van Wonderen is therefore focused on ensuring Die Konigsblauen do not fall through the trapdoor into Germany's third tier, so this midweek DFB-Pokal tie may be considered something of a distraction.
Schalke picked up just one point from two meetings with Augsburg in their doomed 2022-23 Bundesliga campaign, and despite their historic status they will again be outsiders to prevail on Tuesday.
Team News
Augsburg full-backs Mads Valentin Pedersen and Robert Gumny are both sidelined at the moment, alongside back-up goalkeeper Daniel Klein. Furthermore, Finnish midfielder Fredrik Jensen recently underwent groin surgery following an injury sustained while on international duty.
Reece Oxford may be passed fit to play a part in Tuesday's game, while key defender Keven Schlotterbeck returned to take the place of Maximilian Bauer against Dortmund.
Deadline-day signing Alexis Claude-Maurice made quite an impact when finally making his full debut, but DR Congo striker Samuel Essende may now be brought back into the lineup.
Meanwhile, Schalke coach Kees van Wonderen is expected to make several changes ahead of a Friday night league clash with Ulm.
The visitors can call upon Felix Sanchez - whose upcoming suspension will apply to the 2. Bundesliga - and captain Kenan Karaman, who is back from a one-match ban, but it remains to be seen whether key men such as Amin Younes and Moussa Sylla will start.
Augsburg possible starting lineup:
Labrovic; Schlotterbeck, Gouweleeuw, Matsima; Wolf, Maier, Jakic, Rexhbecaj, Giannoulis; Essende, Tietz
Schalke 04 possible starting lineup:
Hoffmann; Bulut, Kalas, Sanchez, Donkor; Tempelmann, Bachmann, Schallenburg, Mohr; Karaman, Gruger
We say: Augsburg 3-1 Schalke 04
Although Augsburg are frail at the back, Schalke's recent record suggests the Ruhr club will be sent back to Gelsenkirchen with a cup defeat to mull over.
Both teams should score, but the hosts have more quality in key areas and will ultimately make that pay.
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