Bundesliga: Leverkusen Aim to Delay the Munich Celebrations 

Bayer Leverkusen vs Augsburg

Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen take on Jess Thorup’s Augsburg in a “do or die” clash at the BayArena on Saturday, as the 2024 Bundesliga champions bid to extend the 2025 title race for anther week at least. 

Leverkusen are relying on a collapse of catastrophic proportions over in Bavaria, and the Bundesliga 2025 betting odds have long said that simply isn’t going to happen. But until the game is mathematically over, Die Werkself will carry on the fight. Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich have a serious test at home to FSV Mainz on Saturday, and their visitors, currently sixth, have their eyes on a European place.

With four games to play and an eight-point gap to make up, second placed Bayer have to win their remaining matches, but visitors Augsburg are still in the race for Europe too, down in 10th but only two points behind Borussia Dortmund in seventh.

Had Die Werkself won their last two games, the gap to the top would be down to four points. But we are where we are, and Alonso’s men are not out of it yet. A 1-1 draw against lowly St. Pauli last week was a blow and one which Leverkusen need to recover from, and now they face a side which just held Eintracht Frankfurt to a goalless draw. Alonso’s team need to get back to their best quickly or they can kiss their title goodbye.  

 

Talking Points

Misfiring Leverkusen must set their sights  

Bayer’s last league win came away to FC Heidenheim at the beginning of April, and that was a tough watch for Werkself fans as their side only had six shots in the whole game and needed an injury-time winner from Aston Villa loanee Emi Buendia to collect all three points. They followed that up with a goalless draw at home to FC Union Berlin and the disappointing point against St Pauli. For a team which has scored 64 goals this season (only FC Bayern have scored more), this has been an alarming fall off and a badly times one at that.

Top scorer Patrik Schick bagged his 17^th goal of the campaign to put Leverkusen one up against St. Pauli, but Carlo Boukhalfa equalised to pull their opponents further away from the drop zone. Now is the time for Bayer to rediscover their scoring form and with an attacking unit boasting Schick and the excellent Florian Wirtz, as well as the lively Nathan Tella and the artful Alex Grimaldo, if they find their rhythm, they will be back among the goals again.

With a 3-4-3 formation, Bayer will be on the attack, and midfield enforcer Granit Xhaka will aim to dominate the centre of the park, allowing his creative teammates to hurt the opposition.

Leverkusen crashed out of the Champions League, defeated by FC Bayern, and they would dearly love to spoil the Bavarians’ title march, but time is quickly running out. 

 

Augsburg is a tough nut to crack

The visitors have put together a decent run of Bundesliga 2025 results in recent weeks, and they have been particularly solid away from home with no losses in their last eight games on the road. Augsburg have only scored 33 goals this season, but they have conceded just 40, with only four teams (including FC Bayern and Bayer Leverkusen) shipping fewer.

With seven clean sheets in their last 10 league games, Thorup’s men have a superbly organised rearguard, but when they have conceded first this season, they have only turned the game around once. If Leverkusen strike early, they will be confident of taking all three points.

Thorup is likely to match Alonso’s 3-4-3 and will try to hit their hosts on the break, with Mert Komur, who scored a late winner recently against Bochum, and top scorer Alexis Claude-Maurice, who will exploit any lapses in the Bayer defence. But the visitors are without influential midfielder Arne Maier, who is suspended after he received a red card in the 2-1 victory over Bochum.       

 

History

Leverkusen have dominated this relationship, with 19 wins to Augsburg’s three, and they won 2-0 in Augsburg back in December with goals from Martin Terrier and Wirtz, as well as winning 2-1 when they met at the BayArena last season.   

The two teams come into the game with identical form over the past six games with three wins, two draws, and a single defeat, and Augsburg’s run includes an impressive 1-0 win away to Borussia Dortmund.    

 

Betting Tip

At SBOTOP odds of 7.72 to win and 4.26 to draw, the visitors are not fancied to upset Die Werkself on Saturday, and the Double Chance: Augsburg or Draw is out at 3.03.

With the 1.50 goals advantage, Augsburg are priced at 1.79, but this is a game Leverkusen really must win, and the players will be itching to get back to winning ways after a week of frustration. The first goal will be crucial.    

   

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