Augsburg will be eyeing a third straight win in the new campaign when they host Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday afternoon.
Having bounced back after a disappointing start, Bayer Leverkusen will be looking to build on their win last time out when they hit the road to square up against Augsburg.
The home team are top of the table having won their first two league outings. They started the campaign with a 2-0 win over Energie Cottbus in the DFB-Pokal before taking down Schalke (3-0) and Eintracht Frankfurt (4-1) in the Bundesliga.
While Frankfurt dominated the ball and created quite a few chances, they were wasteful in front of goal. Meanwhile, Augsburg made the most of the chances that came their way and ended up with all three points.
Leverkusen started their season with a dominant 4-0 win over Wehen Wiesbaden in the DFB-Pokal. However, they ended up losing 3-2 to newly promoted SV Elversberg on matchday one of the Bundesliga. It was a very disappointing result, but they have bounced back with a 4-0 win over Union Berlin last time out.
Having completely outplayed the Berlin-based outfit in their second game, Leverkusen will certainly be confident about putting up a strong performance against Augsburg. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Augsburg
The home team will be without the services of Tim Breithaupt (toe) and Anton Kade (muscle) because of injury, while Steve Mounie is a doubt because of lack of match fitness.
Manuel Baum’s team will line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, where Finn Dahmen will take charge between the sticks. In the heart of the defence, Noahkai Banks will feature alongside Chrislain Matsima and Calvin Brackelmann. Meanwhile, Marius Wolf and Hennes Behrens will be the two wing-backs for Augsburg.
Han-Noah Massengo and Fabian Rieder are expected to be the two central midfielders, who will look to ensure they have more of the ball and are the ones who dictate the tempo.
Arijon Ibrahimovic and Robin Fellhauer will feature as the two attacking midfielders behind Michael Gregoritsch, who will lead the line against Leverkusen.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Dahmen; Banks, Matsima, Brackelmann; Wolf, Massengo, Rieder, Behrens; Ibrahimovic, Fellhauer; Gregoritsch
Bayer Leverkusen
The visitors remain without the services of Kennet Eichhorn (illness) and Montrell Culbreath (foot injury). Meanwhile, Eliesse Ben Seghir (thigh injury) and Guela Doue (match fitness) are both major doubts for this outing.
Carles Martínez’s team will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Mark Flekken will take charge in goal. Jarell Quansah and Miguel Gutierrez will both take charge as full-backs, while Facundo Medina will partner with Edmond Tapsoba in the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, Ezequiel Fernandez and Aleix Garcia will form the double pivot. The duo will shield the backline and look to ensure they control the tempo of the game.
Moussa Diaby and Afonso Moreira will feature on the flanks, providing much-needed width to their attacks. Ibrahim Maza will take up the number ten role behind Patrik Schick, who will continue to lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Flekken; Quansah, Tapsoba, Medina, Gutierrez; Garcia, Fernandez; Diaby, Maza, Moreira; Schick
Key Stats
- In the 31 meetings between the two teams, Leverkusen have won 19, while Augsburg have only won five times.
- Augsburg are off to a flying start, having won each of their first three games. They have bagged nine goals, while conceding just once.
- Marius Wolf has created five big chances in two league outings (most by anyone).
- Only one team has found the back of the net in five out of the ten meetings between the two teams.
- Leverkusen have bagged 13 goals in their last five outings.
Player to Watch
Marius Wolf
The former Borussia Dortmund full-back is off to a flying start to the new campaign. Playing as a wing-back, the 31-year-old has already created five big chances, the most by any player in the opening two games, and he also has an assist to his name.
Wolf will look to carry on the good work and help his team secure another win here. He will certainly be a threat for Leverkusen from wide areas with his overlapping runs and crosses into the box.
Prediction
Augsburg 2-2 Bayer Leverkusen
Augsburg have made an excellent start to the new campaign and will have the advantage of playing at home. Their attacking form has been impressive, while their defensive record has also been strong. However, Leverkusen will head into this fixture with plenty of confidence after their dominant win over Union Berlin and should pose a much tougher challenge than Augsburg’s previous opponents.
Leverkusen have enough quality across the pitch to cause problems, but Augsburg’s current form makes this a difficult game to call. A high-scoring encounter could be on the cards, with both teams likely to find the back of the net. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw in this outing.