Unbeaten! Any more questions?
The team from Augsburg have never beaten the Werkself in a competitive fixture – neither in the 14 meetings in the Bundesliga nor the two in the DFB Cup. The record in detail: nine Leverkusen wins and six draws. Given that, it would come as no surprise if Augsburg and their supporters feel a bit uneasy ahead of their trip to Leverkusen. The Swabians could gain comfort from the fact the last three meetings at the BayArena have seen the Red, Green and Whites earn three draws against the Werkself. The team promoted in 2011 have only lost one of the last seven games against Bayer 04 (a 3-1 defeat in February 2017). Saturday will give Heiko Herrlich's men the opportunity to show the defiant Augsburg team who is boss at the BayArena.
Back of the net
What's the best way of deflecting attention from your own problems? By pointing out other people's. Here we go: Leaving out matchday 8 (0-0 draw with RB Leipzig), Augsburg have conceded at least one goal in all of their previous 13 league fixtures – with a grand total of 22. FCA have only let in five in the first 45 minutes, which clearly indicates a defensive frailty in the second half. And that should encourage the Werkself at the break to go for it after the restart. Well, given our own tendency to conceded goals this season - particularly in the second half (18 out of a total of 25), that might just be a precaution...
Beware set pieces
While we're on the subject. In a repeat of last season, the Werkself have been susceptible to conceding at set pieces: At Nürnberg, the Herrlich team let in the fifth goal from a corner and the opponents have also celebrated six goals from free kicks and penalties. Both are the worst stats in the league! Accordingly, the Werkself should be extra wary and focused on Saturday. Augsburg are the second strongest team in the league in this respect: They have already scored 13 goals from set plays this term – that's 65 per cent of their strikes. One piece of advice for the FCA coach Manuel Baum. Even though Augsburg are keen to win after three successive defats in the league, there is no room at the BayArena for opposition coaches to lay down successful roots at the BayArena.
On a roll
Kai Havertz is on a roll at the moment. That may well be down to the 19-year-old top talent being prepared to keep on running and running. With a total distance of 151.5 kilometres covered in 1,136 minutes on the pitch, 'Havi' has made the biggest contribution at the Werkself to Bayer 04 (1,557.1 km) being second behind SC Freiburg (1,558.2 km) and ahead of all the other teams in the league. Havertz is followed by Kevin Volland (136.7 km – 1,027 minutes) and Jonathan Tah (126 km – 1,080 minutes). Moreover: Kevin Volland is in line to make his 200th Bundesliga appearance in the match against the former club of Dominik Kohr. There could not be any better cause to hope for a perfect performance.
Last results: 1-1 (A), 0-0 (H)
Referee: Bastian Dankert (Rostock)
Temperature forecast: 9 degrees
Predicted attendance: 26,500 (tickets available at the ground from 13.30 CET)
