Augsburg vs Bayer Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen’s quest to return to the Bundesliga title picture takes them to the WWK Arena this weekend for a must-win clash against Augsburg.

Except for a 3-0 defeat at runaway leaders Bayern Munich nearly a month ago, Augsburg have avoided defeat in five of their last six Bundesliga outings (W2, D3), making manager Jess Thorup proud. Augsburg’s uptick in form has steered them six points away from the bottom three, re-instilling confidence at the WWK Arena ahead of Bayer Leverkusen’s visit. This stadium has been a fortress this season, with ‘Die Fuggerstädter’ only losing one of their seven home league matches (W4, D2). Since a 3-2 loss to Mainz in September, Thorup’s charges have won three of their four subsequent Bundesliga fixtures here (D1), conceding an average of just 0.5 goals per game in that sequence. However, Augsburg suffered a league double at the hands of Leverkusen last term, though both defeats came by a single-goal margin.

On the other hand, Bayer Leverkusen’s title defense is back on track following a topsy-turvy start, with Xabi Alonso’s side winning three consecutive league games for the first time this season to whittle down the gap on Bayern Munich to seven points. ‘Die Werkself’ received the ultimate confidence booster ahead of this trip as Nordi Mukiele’s 90th-minute winner propelled them to a 1-0 home triumph against Inter Milan in midweek UEFA Champions League action. That victory extended Leverkusen’s winning streak in all competitions to six matches while marking their second clean sheet in three after a 1-0 DFB-Pokal against none other than Bayern! But there’s no room for complacency, considering they’ve dropped points on three of their last four Bundesliga travels (W1, D3).