Augsburg vs. Bayer Leverkusen

Important games ahead of Augsburg

FC Augsburg have lost 6 of their last 7 Bundesliga games and will be looking at the gap between themselves and the relegation zone once again.
They’re currently on a run of 3 straight defeats – a fourth would equal a negative club record, which most recently occurred almost a year ago.
After the game against Leverkusen, FCA have matches against Mainz and Hertha, direct rivals in the fight against the drop.

AUG/B-LEV - A worse record than in the Hinrunde

Six of Augsburg’s 11 Bundesliga defeats this season have come in 2021, with no other side losing so many games since Christmas.
They have picked up just 3 points from their four Rückrunde games so far, whilst FCA picked up 7 points against the same opponents in the Hinrunde.
Leverkusen also have a worse record in this respect, picking up just 4 points in their 4 Rückrunde games so far (they picked up 6 points against the same opponents in the first half of the season).

B-LEV - 1 point per game in 2021

In their 8 Bundesliga games this year, Leverkusen have picked up just 8 from a possible 24 points (W2, D2, L4).

AUG - Most defeats ever

Augsburg suffered their 11th defeat of the season in their 21st game in Leipzig last time out, the most losses FCA have ever suffered at this stage of a Bundesliga campaign.
Augsburg have 4 fewer points on the board than they did after 21 games last season, with head coach Martin Schmidt leaving the club shortly afterwards.

AUG - Winless against the top teams

Augsburg have picked up their points this season against the clubs around them in the table, as they haven’t managed to take much from the top teams.
In their 7 games against the current top 5 in the table, FCA picked up just 1 point (0-0 in Wolfsburg on MD3).
The club have lost their last 6 games against the current top 5 in the league.

B-LEV - Historic run

When looking at the statistics, it’s very unlikely that Leverkusen will lose against Augsburg as they have a historic ongoing run against FCA.
In 19 Bundesliga games between the two sides, Leverkusen have never lost to Augsburg – this is the most one-sided match-up between any sides in the Bundesliga!

Do Augsburg stand a chance?

Augsburg have lost each of their last 5 games against Leverkusen with an aggregate goal record of 2-13 – they haven’t gone so long without picking up a point against any other current Bundesliga side.
They suffered a 3-1 defeat in the reverse fixture in Leverkusen.

B-LEV - A faultless record

Peter Bosz seems to be the man to continue Leverkusen’s fine form against Augsburg, as he’s won all 5 of his Bundesliga games against the club (1 with BVB, 4 with Leverkusen).
In the reverse fixture, Bosz made a great fair-play gesture. After a wrong free-kick decision by referee Sören Storks (a handball by Exequiel Palacios that was actually given against Daniel Caligiuri), Bosz told Palacios to return the ball to Augsburg from the free-kick – he did just that.

AUG - Herrlich faces his replacement

Heiko Herrlich has a special connection to Bayer Leverkusen, with the current FCA coach playing his first 75 Bundesliga games for the club (6 goals) and being made manager of the club by Rudi Völler in summer 2017.
His reign was not successful, with Leverkusen finishing fifth and missing out on Champions League football in his first season in charge.
With Leverkusen just ninth after the Hinrunde in 2018/19, Herrlich had to leave the club even though he won his last 2 games in charge.
Peter Bosz came in to replace him and turned Leverkusen back into a club competing at the top of the table.

AUG - No home form recently

Augsburg have won just 1 of their last 8 Bundesliga home games – 2-1 against Union Berlin on matchday 18.
They have lost 2 as often as they’ve won at home this season (W3, L6).
FCA have picked up 11 points from their last 11 home games, which is as many as they’ve picked up in their 10 away games.

B-LEV - Losing away games recently

Whilst Leverkusen began the season with 5 away wins in a row, they’ve since lost each of their last three Bundesliga games on the road.
The last time Leverkusen lost 4 away games in a row in the BL was 11 years ago under Jupp Heynckes.

Well-managed attack

Augsburg struggled against the side with the best defensive record in the league when they played Leipzig last time out, not having a shot on goal until well into the second half.
Daniel Caligiuri scored a penalty for Augsburg in the 77th minute (his first for the club in the Bundesliga), getting a consolation goal for his side with FCA’s first shot of the game.
This is the longest Augsburg have had to wait for a shot in a game this season.

B-LEV - Alario on the brink of a record

Lucas Alario put Leverkusen ahead against Mainz with the first shot of the game last time out, getting his ninth goal of the season.
He has never before scored more goals in a Bundesliga season and could now set a new personal record – he finished on 9 goals in both 2017/18 and 2018/19.

B-LEV - One or both?

It happened in the 7-0 win against Eintracht Norderstedt in the DFB-Pokal, in the 4-1 win against Hapoel Beer-Sheva in the Europa League and now it’s happened in the Bundesliga against Mainz: Lucas Alario and Patrik Schick scoring in the same game.
It’s unclear whether Peter Bosz will start both strikers together in the Bundesliga for the first time. So far, he’s only started the pair in the DFB-Pokal defeat in Essen a few weeks ago.

Sports Poets Society