Augsburg vs Bournemouth predictions and betting tips – Cherries in pre-season action

Bournemouth are in Austria at the start of pre-season. They faced St Pauli in their first outing of the summer last Friday and are now gearing up for a meeting with Augsburg on Thursday.

Will Bournemouth prove too strong for their Bundesliga opponents, or can Augsburg emerge victorious as both teams continue to prepare for the 2026/27 campaign?

• Bournemouth to win – 20/21 with BoyleSports
• Over 1.5 goals first half – 7/5 with BoyleSports
• Goal in each halves – 7/10 with BoyleSports

Augsburg vs Bournemouth head to head overview

• Date: Thursday 30th July.
• Kick-off: 3pm.
• Venue: Pinzgau Saalfelden, Saalfelden, Austria.
• Where to watch: Not being shown live in the UK.
• Referee: TBC.
• VAR: Yes.
• Last meeting: Never played before.
• Favourite to win: Bournemouth.

Augsburg vs Bournemouth predicted lineups

• Augsburg expected lineup: Dahmen; Keitel, Schlotterbeck, Schnitzer; Sakar, Suso, Behrens, Massengo; Wolf, Ribeiro, Kade.
• Bournemouth expected lineup: Petrovic; Smith, Hill, Diakite, Truffert; Cook, Scott; Kluivert, Tavernier, Unal; Jebbison.

Augsburg vs Bournemouth predictions

Bournemouth have known for a while that Andoni Iraola would not lead them in the 2026/27 season.

It was confirmed in May, before the previous campaign had concluded, that Iraola would seek pastures new over the summer, although Bournemouth fans anticipated his departure for a while before that.

At one stage it looked like Iraola was on his way to Crystal Palace, a move which would doubtless have frustrated fans of his former club. In the end, he penned a deal with Liverpool and will attempt to return the Premier League title to Anfield in the upcoming campaign.

Marco Rose is his replacement, having been appointed to the role before the end of 2025/26. That has afforded him plenty of time to run the rule over the Bournemouth squad, a process which has accelerated over the last few weeks.

The fact that Bournemouth were able to attract Rose in the first place is a sign of how far they have come (and also how attractive the Premier League now is to managers across Europe).

Rose’s previous two jobs came at Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, teams which are used to finishing in the top three or four of the Bundesliga.

He is untested outside Austria and Germany, though, and it will be fascinating to see how adeptly he is able to fill Iraola’s shoes. 

Bournemouth beat St Pauli 4-1 in their first friendly of the summer last week, coming from a goal down to win handsomely in Austria.

They remain in that country for a clash with Augsburg on Thursday, before upcoming meetings with Genoa, Real Betis and Mainz before the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

Augsburg, for their part, drew 1-1 with Saarbtucken last weekend in their first pre-season encounter.

Augsburg vs Bournemouth betting tips

Augsburg and Bournemouth will butt heads in a pre-season friendly on Thursday.

Who wins in Austria?

Pre-season games are notoriously difficult to call. It is hard to know what sort of line-ups the two managers will pick, and neither side will be overly fussed with the result.

On balance, though, we like Bournemouth’s chances. They picked a strong XI against St Pauli last time out and will do the same here.

There is more quality at their disposal than there is available to Augsburg, who needed a late equaliser to avoid defeat by Saarbrucken last time out.

Bournemouth have what it takes to make it two wins from two this pre-season as they take their first few steps under Marco Rose.

Back Bournemouth to win at 20/21 with BoyleSports

Fast start to game

On average, more goals are scored in football matches after half-time than before it. Yet in pre-season friendlies, we often see examples of the opposite.

There are a few reasons for that. Modern pre-seasons are carefully managed, with players trained to only be ready for 90-minute intensity towards the end of them.

Marco Rose made wholesale changes at half-time against St Pauli and he will probably do the same again here.

With that in mind, it is worth a punt on at least two goals being scored between minutes one and 45.

Tip over 1.5 goals in the first half at 7/5 with BoyleSports

Attacks or defences?

As well as anticipating two goals in the first half, we expect at least one to be scored after the break.

If Marco Rose and Manuel Baum make several substitutions at half-time as they are likely to do, we will essentially see a different match in the second period. 

It is hard to see a goalless half at all in this encounter, not least because rigorous defending is not really the point of pre-season.

Our final selection for Augsburg vs Bournemouth in this friendly in Austria is for at least one goal either side of the interval.

Go for a goal in each half at 7/10 with BoyleSports

Augsburg vs Bournemouth latest odds

Find the latest Augsburg vs Bournemouth betting odds here. All odds are provided by our recommended football bookmakers and are subject to change.

More pre-season friendly predictions

We have plenty more pre-season friendly predictions and picks – find our latest betting tips from expert punters in our match preview overview.

Important historical facts about Augsburg and Bournemouth for betting

Augsburg have not kept a clean sheet in any of their last 11 matches. Bournemouth are unbeaten in 18 games going into this game. Marco Rose’s RB Leipzig drew 0-0 with Augsburg in his last meeting with Bournemouth’s next opponents.

About the author

Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.

Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball

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