Our next opponents: Early birds entertain late starters

Position

Ahead of the match at the BayArena, Marcus Weinzierl revealed, "I haven't looked at the stats because I know how bad they are." FC Augsburg have not come out on top in any of the 21 Bundesliga fixtures against the Werkself (seven draws, 14 defeats). "We know we’re up against a good team. Leverkusen have incredible quality. We want to stop them getting into the game and show our best side," said Weinzierl on Thursday in setting out the approach to the game in Leverkusen. FCA have not made the best start to the new calendar year. The Bavarian Swabians lost 3-1 away to TSG Hoffenheim in the first match of the second half of the season but the team currently fifteenth in the table did gain a point on the last matchday with a 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt. "The pressure’s growing," said goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz after the draw against the Eagles before adding: "It's time to get results but I've always said we have the quality to avoid being in a relegation battle on the final day of the season."

Personnel

There is a question mark over Iago a few days ahead of the match. The left back has suffered knocks like his two teammates Mads Pedersen and Arne Meier. Nevertheless, Weinzierl is optimistic and he will wait for the final pre-match training session before making a final decision. Felix Uduokhai is definitely on board. The central defender had struggled with injuries for several months. The 24-year-old was able to make two appearances recently against Hoffenheim and Frankfurt and is back up to speed. That also pleases the coach: "We are now in a situation where we have three good central defenders (Reece Oxford, Jeffrey Gouweleeuw and Uduokhai, ed.) and are able to field our best players," explained Weinzierl, who was also able to play winter signing Ricardo Pepi (no goal involvements today) in the starting line-up. The 19-year-old striker, who came on as a substitute against Hoffenheim, joined Augsburg at the start of January from FC Dallas. "In terms of culture, it's a big step from America to Germany," said his new teammate Uduokhai. Therefore, Pepi needs time to fully develop his potential. "But I’m fully confident he can help us. We saw some of that in the last match."

Performers

Werkself beware: Augsburg have scored eight of their last 19 goals from set-pieces. "Set pieces are very important for a team like ours," said Weinzierl before adding: "We work on that specifically and we have lots of quality up front as well as the players who convert them." Gouweleeuw, Oxford and Uduokhai are three exceptionally good finishers. In terms of goalscorers at FCA, Michael Gregoritsch currently leads the way. The Austrian striker is again in demand after being sporadically used up to Bundesliga matchday 12. The last two Augsburg goals have been scored by the 6 foot 2 forward who now has four strikes on his tally making him the top scorer at the club ahead of Florian Niederlechner (three). "He's created his current form," said Weinzierl in praise of his player, "and now he's shown he can be effective."

Problems

The early bird catches the worm. A saying that the Werkself have almost taken to heart this season as no other team in the Bundesliga has scored as often in the opening 15 minutes as Bayer 04 (11). FC Augsburg have conceded the most goals in the opening quarter of an hour in league matches: Keeper Rafal Gikiewicz has had to pick the ball out of the net eight times in the first 15 minutes. Augsburg will not be happy to look back at the statistics from this season's previous meeting when the Black and Reds were already 2-0 up after 14 minutes. The Weinzierl team have had problems this season creating enough chances. 201 shots on goal after 19 matchdays is the third-worst return in Germany's top flight. That's why Gikiewicz complained after the Frankfurt game: "We had our share of the game but were unable to test the opposition keeper more often."

Prediction

FC Augsburg are currently just one point above the drop zone. The clear target for FCA this season is maintaining top-flight status. The return of defender Felix Uduokhai should bring more defensive stability and striker Michael Gregoritsch has developed from a substitute into a key player in recent weeks and months – his form could have a decisive effect on results for the Bavarian Swabians. The evident solidarity of the team could be a key element for Augsburg in the battle to stay up. The coach is aware of that as well: "We are all focused," said Weinzierl, "have a target and are sticking together as a team." If FCA can achieve that then looking at the statistics against the Werkself is not particularly important.