Bayer Leverkusen vs. FC Augsburg preview: Do Augsburg stand a chance?
Augsburg travel to the BayArena for a difficult matchup against Leverkusen, two clubs in desperate need of a win.
Bayer Leverkusen
Let’s just say that Leverkusen supporters deserve a victory after a winless start to the DFB-Pokal and Bundesliga. Sardar Azmoun could see an increased role up front to join partner Patrik Schick, who will have some superb chances to score his first league goal of the season.
Captain Lukas Hradecky is suspended after his red card against Dortmund, as Russian Andrey Lunev is likely to take his place in goal. Edmond Tapsoba is again set to pair with Jonathan Tah in center defense.
The longest unbeaten head-to-head record in Bundesliga history belongs to Leverkusen, who have never lost to Augsburg in 22 meetings. Moussa Diaby has also scored more goals (5) against Die Fuggerstädter than any other team in the league.
Trainer Gerardo Seoane believes that, "I think everybody can take a step forward in communication. We have promoted that since we've been here with lots of discussions & relaxed games. Through that we primarily want to give young players the awareness that it's incredibly important.”
Team News
Robert Andrich is out with a thigh injury and Hradecky is suspended. Florian Wirtz continues to recover from his ACL injury, while Admine Adli is still unlikely to feature in the squad.
FC Augsburg
Augsburg are coming off a 4-0 disaster at home against Freiburg on Matchday 1. They have a whole list of injury concerns, as manager Enrico Maaßen has his work cut out to steady this sinking ship.
In his press conference, Maaßen stated, "Leverkusen may have lost two games, but they were at least equal to Dortmund. Everyone knows our record against them, we have to be as uncomfortable as possible for the opponent and need 100 percent.”
Maaßen has called for consistency, so it’s unlikely to see many changes to the starting lineup. All eyes are on record-signing American Ricardo Pepi, who’s yet to score or assist in a Augsburg shirt.
Team News
Sorry Augsburg fans, this is a mess.
Niklas Dorsch, Lukas Petkov, Noah Sarenren Bazee, Reece Oxford, Tobias Strobl and Ruben Vargas are all out with injuries. Florian Niederlechner and Frederik Winther are doubtful for the contest.