Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen are set to travel to WWK Arena where they will take on Augsburg on Saturday in their 14th league game of the season.
The hosts are sixth last in 13th place with 16 points and drew 2-2 with Eintracht Frankfurt on December 7, while Xabi Alonso's side are third with 26 points and are now six points behind leaders Bayern Munich following their 2-1 victory against St Pauli last Saturday.
Match preview
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Augsburg can take many positives from their match against title contenders Eintracht Frankfurt, including that they limited the Eagles to just two big chances while also creating two of their own.
Boss Jess Thorup insisted that his team's performance last time out was a step in the right direction, saying: "That was an improved performance, because we weren't just strong defensively, but also had some really good attacks. I think it was a 50-50 game which could have gone either way."
The Fuggerstadter have only won once in their five most recent Bundesliga matches, though their only defeat in their past six league outings was a 3-0 loss against Bayern Munich on November 22.
Thorup's side's record in front of goal has been worrying, with the team only netting four times in their last five games, blanking twice.
However, the hosts' form at home has been strong given the club are unbeaten in their last four, achieving victory three times in that period.
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Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen were arguably somewhat fortunate to have taken all three points against St Pauli considering the victors' six shots and two attempts on target were half that of their opponents' tally.
Alonso's side also triumphed 1-0 against Inter Milan on Tuesday night in the Champions League thanks to Nordi Mukiele's 90th-minute winner, a result that left them fourth in the league phase table with 13 points from six matches.
Die Schwarzroten's boss was thrilled by his players' display against Inter, telling reporters: "We showed good maturity. We did not expect to have 20 chances but a few good ones and to use one of them. My players had awareness and knew when to press high. The lines were really close. We had good stability and structure."
Leverkusen appear to have finally escaped their inconsistencies, with the club having won each of their last six fixtures, as many as they had triumphed in in the previous 14 games.
In that period, the champions scored 16 goals and conceded on just four occasions while also keeping three clean sheets.
The visitors have been difficult to beat away from home considering they have emerged triumphant in two, drawn four and lost just one of their past seven matches.
Team News
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Augsburg unfortunately have several absentees, including forward Fredrik Jensen, as well as defenders Reece Oxford and Mads Valentin Pedersen.
The hosts also have concerns about the availability of goalkeeper Finn Dahmen, striker Samuel Essende and defender Dimitrios Giannoulis.
Expect Thorup to field a back three consisting of Chrislain Matsima, Jeffrey Gouweleeuw and Keven Schlotterbeck, who are likely to be stationed in front of goalkeeper Nediljko Labrovic.
Defensive midfielder Kristijan Jakic could be supported in the middle of the pitch by Frank Onyeka and Elvis Rexhbecaj, while Alexis Claude-Maurice and Philipp Tietz may partner each other in attack.
Leverkusen have fewer injuries to contend with, but they will still be unable to select forward Amine Adli until March 2025, as well as Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface until January.
Alonso is likely to start a front three of Florian Wirtz, Patrik Schick and Nathan Tella, ahead of midfielders Granit Xhaka and Robert Andrich.
Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah and Piero Hincapie are almost certain to feature in defence alongside wing-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo.
Augsburg possible starting lineup:
Labrovic; Matsima, Gouweleeuw, Schlotterbeck; Wolf, Onyeka, Jakic, Rexhbecaj, Koudossou; Claude-Maurice, Tietz
Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:
Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Andrich, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Wirtz, Schick, Tella
We say: Augsburg 1-3 Bayer Leverkusen
It is difficult to see how Augsburg can avoid defeat given the strong performances of Bayer Leverkusen in recent weeks.
Considering the visitors have also been strong at both ends of the pitch, it would not be surprising if they scored several times while keeping their hosts relatively quiet in the final third.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Lewis Nolan
