- Bayer 04 Leverkusen are unbeaten in five matches, winning two and drawing three.
- FC Augsburg are winless in five outings, drawing two, and losing three.
Leverkusen are on a roll
Kasper Hjulmand’s side have hit their stride of late and will be in a positive mood ahead of this weekend’s home clash with FC Augsburg, despite the Bavarians taking three points when these two sides last met in the Bundesliga four months ago.
The Eagles have won their last two Bundesliga matches and sit 5th in the table with 52 points from 29 games. Hjulmand has maintained the high tempo, positional play and aggressive pressing approach, while adding more positional discipline to their structure to allow them to dominate the ball and wear their opponents down in possession.
At home, Leverkusen have won one and drawn one of their last two Bundesliga home games, including a 6-3 win over Wolfsburg, and they also ground out a 1-0 away win at Borussia Dortmund with determination and grit. In Florian Wirtz, they have a magician in midfield, who can unlock defences with a sublime pass or take on multiple defenders, and in Patrik Schick they have a physical presence with an eye for goal who has scored 10 Bundesliga goals in 23 appearances this season. With the defensive solidity and calm of Granit Xhaka in midfield and the pace and industry of the wingbacks to overload the sides, Leverkusen are formidable.
Augsburg can be stubborn but lack the attacking talent to break the deadlock
FC Augsburg are having a solid Bundesliga season in 10th place with 33 points from 29 matches, but they’ve had a rough patch of late with no wins in their last five outings. Their two most recent matches have ended in back-to-back draws, 2-2 at home to Hoffenheim and 1-1 away at Hamburger SV.
Manuel Baum has made them tough to beat since taking over as head coach, focusing on compactness, organisation and resilience at the back, while being ready to counter-attack at pace. This weekend’s clash will be a fascinating tactical battle between Leverkusen’s probing attack and Augsburg’s stubborn block.
In Ermedin Demirović, Baum has a powerful presence up top who can lead the counter-attacks and bring the ball down to his feet, while in Alexis Claude-Maurice, Augsburg have a crafty attacking midfielder to act as their top scorer in the Bundesliga this season with five goals in 25 games.
Leverkusen can overcome the stubborn hosts
Leverkusen should have the quality to break down Augsburg on Saturday and continue their run of results, as they have done in four of the last five Bundesliga head-to-head meetings. The Bavarians have failed to win in their last three Bundesliga away games, drawing once and losing twice, and they’ve failed to beat Leverkusen on their two most recent Bundesliga trips to the BayArena.
A home win for Leverkusen at 1.42 looks very tempting, but the both teams to score market at 1.62 is a solid play on the visitors to trouble the defence of the hosts. Over 2.5 goals, priced at 1.48, is also an option for those looking to get involved in this game at the odds-on favourite.
