Energie Cottbus vs Augsburg: Prediction, Betting Tips and Match Preview

When two German sides from separate divisions meet in the DFB-Pokal, goals are almost always on the menu. This First Round tie pits Energie Cottbus against FC Augsburg — two teams who spent the summer overhauling their backlines and are still struggling to find defensive cohesion. Can the newly promoted 2. Bundesliga outfit really challenge a Bundesliga side under these circumstances?

Tactical Analysis: Energie Cottbus

After an agonising 12-year wait, the modest club from Cottbus finally earned promotion to Germany’s second tier. Finishing second in the 3. Liga in 2025/26, they knew a major rebuild was needed ahead of stepping up in class. Seven first-team regulars departed over the summer — all of whom had featured in at least 20 matches during the promotion campaign.

The defensive unit was hit hardest. Energie bid farewell to goalkeeper Marius Funke (34 appearances last season), alongside defenders Nyamekye Awortwi-Grant (37 matches), Leon Guwara (20), and Simon Straudi (24). New arrivals were brought in to plug the gaps, but with team chemistry still a work in progress, results have suffered.

Over seven pre-season friendlies, Energie failed to keep a single clean sheet — even against lower-league minnows like Altglienicke (1–1) and Hertha BSC II (3–1). Against stronger opposition, the results turned catastrophic. A 5–0 thrashing by Salzburg and a 4–2 defeat to Werder Bremen (across two 60-minute halves) exposed crude defensive errors and a lack of understanding between the new-look backline.

This fragility carried into the new campaign. After two rounds of 2. Bundesliga action, Cottbus beat Hannover 3–1 at home before getting hammered 3–0 by Arminia Bielefeld. Notably, in that last game, seven summer signings started — and they kept making mistakes, even conceding a penalty.

Tactical Analysis: FC Augsburg

Sandro Schwarz was dismissed as Augsburg manager in December 2025 after a string of disappointing results. Under caretaker Manuel Baum, the team clawed their way to mid-table by the end of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season, finishing just four points adrift of the European qualification places. Baum was understandably given the job on a permanent basis.

The club retained the bulk of their squad over the summer, but the defensive unit underwent notable changes. Left-back Dimitris Giannoulis (2 goals, 5 assists in 29 appearances last term) and Cédric Zesiger (29 games) both moved on. In their place, young, inexperienced players arrived — none of whom have yet proven themselves reliable at the top level.

Augsburg’s pre-season painted a telling picture. They demolished amateur Austrian side Schwaz 15–0, but against stiffer opponents, the defence collapsed. A 5–2 loss to Bournemouth and a humbling 4–0 defeat to Leeds highlighted the problem: an unsteady backline. Against the Premier League side, Baum fielded 21-year-old newcomer Hennes Brens, 19-year-old Noakai Banks, and 24-year-old Chrislain Matsima. All three regularly lost duels and positional battles. After that match, the head coach admitted he had not yet solved the issue of conceding soft goals.

On a brighter note, Augsburg have advanced past the First Round of the DFB-Pokal in five of the last six editions.

Predicted Lineups

Energie Cottbus (4-4-2): Lotka – Rorig, Ehrlein, Pelivan, Doumbia – Dijgerdji, Bittencourt, Michelbrink, Gutta – Kynsombi, Copado

Unavailable: Manu, Bozaris, Engelhardt (all injured)

Head coach: Claus-Dieter Wollitz

FC Augsburg (4-2-3-1): Dahmen – Wolf, Matsima, Schlotterbeck, Berens – Keitel, Fellhauer – Ogundu, Rieder, Kömür – Gregorić

Unavailable: Claude-Maurice (injured)

Head coach: Manuel Baum

Referee

No referee assignment details were provided in the source material.

Prediction and Bet

Main pick: Augsburg to win with -1.5 handicap at 2.34

Energie Cottbus have shown they can perform at home — they already claimed a league victory in front of their own fans this season and lost only once in 19 home matches last term. But standing up to a Bundesliga side is a different story. Their defence is a shambles. Two newcomers without any understanding start in the back four, a natural defensive midfielder is filling in at centre-back, and their most experienced defender, King Manu, is sidelined through injury. Pre-season showed they leaked goals even against weaker opposition; under sustained pressure from a strong team, they capitulate entirely.

Sure, Augsburg are no bastion of defensive solidity either. But Baum’s side play with high pressing and have the individual quality to cruise through the early rounds of the cup. In recent campaigns, they comfortably dispatched lower-league opposition on the road: Hallescher (2–0), Viktoria Berlin (4–1), and Lohne (4–0). Expect another emphatic away win here.

Goals market: Both teams to score — Yes at 1.63

Cottbus averaged 1.57 goals per game in pre-season, bagged three in their home league opener, and boast the prolific Tolcay Dijgerdji (17 goals, 13 assists in 37 matches last season, plus 2 goals in 2 games this term). The hosts have the firepower to find the net. However, they have not kept a clean sheet in any of their last nine competitive matches. With both sides leaking goals and Cottbus capable of scoring, backing both teams to get on the scoresheet looks a smart play.