Augsburg vs Bayer Leverkusen Preview: Team News & Prediction
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Augsburg have been steady but remain in the bottom-half of the Bundesliga ahead of welcoming defending champions and improving Bayer Leverkusen this weekend.
Kick-off date/time: Saturday 14th December, 2024: UK – 2:30pm / US ET – 9:30am / US PT – 6:30am
How to watch on TV: UK – Not televised / US – Some matches will be televised on ESPN channels so it is worth checking their schedules
How to watch online: UK – Cannot be streamed / US – ESPN+
Augsburg Preview: Steady Augsburg
Augsburg come into this one on the back of an entertaining 2-2 draw with high flying Eintracht Frankfurt at Deutsche Bank Park in their most recent outing last weekend. They were 1-0 down after 55 minutes before going 2-1 up and then settling for a more than respectable point.
The home team have suffered just one defeat in their last eight matches across all competitions. They have started steadily with four victories, four draws and five defeats in their opening 13 matches as they hover above the bottom three ahead of the weekend.
Bayer Leverkusen Preview: Slow-ish start
After winning both the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal without losing a game and even reaching the final of the UEFA Europa League last season, there was always expected to be a decline this season for Bayer Leverkusen and they did start slowly but are beginning to improve once again.
Xabi Alonso’s defending champions defeated St Pauli by two goals to one at the BayArena last weekend as they propel themselves back towards the top-of-the-table. They have now enjoyed three successive victories in the Bundesliga.
Augsburg Team News: A few issues
Augsburg have several injury doubts for this weekend’s visit of the champions. Former Norwich City left-back Dimitris Giannoulis is expected to be sidelined alongside Finland international Fredrik Jensen with Mads Pedersen also out injured.
Predicted XI (3-5-2): Labrovic; Matsima, Gouweleeuw, Schlotterbeck; Wolf, Onyeka, Jakic, Rexhbecaj, Koudossou; Essende, Tietz
Unavailable: Oxford (Illness), Pedersen (Injured)
Questionable: Dahmen (Injured), Giannoulis (Injured), Komur (Injured), Jensen (Injured)
Bayer Leverkusen Team News: Attacking injuries
Bayer Leverkusen managed just two shots on target against St Pauli last weekend with key injury issues in attacking areas of the pitch. Nigeria international striker Victor Boniface is sidelined, whilst Patrik Schick has also now sustained a calf injury.
Predicted XI (3-5-2): Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Piero Hincapie; Arthur, Palacios, Andrich, Xhaka, Alex Grimaldo; Tella, Wirtz
Unavailable: Adli (Injured), Hofmann (Injured), Boniface (Injured)
Questionable: Schick (Injured)
Augsburg vs Bayer Leverkusen Prediction
Augsburg have been underwhelming but steady. Their style of football would also be described in similar terms as they sit in the bottom-half of the table. They face a Bayer Leverkusen side that are a bit more controlled than last year but have also lacked a bit of cohesion that Xabi Alonso will hope will be rediscovered in the second-half of the campaign. The visitors are firm favourites for a game that may end up being a generally low-scoring affair.
Augsburg vs Bayer Leverkusen Tip: Bayer Leverkusen to win & under 3.5 goals
