Augsburg vs Bayer Leverkusen prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2024-12-13 14:30.
[p]Augsburg have pulled clear of the Bundesliga relegation zone in recent weeks, leading manager Jess Thorup to hail his side for taking a “step in the right direction.” A run of only one defeat in their last six league outings (W2, D3) has seen the club build up a six-point cushion to the bottom three, and even that loss came against table-topping Bayern Munich![/p]
[p]Despite that impressive sequence, Fuggerstädter’s most recent result was a 2-2 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt, which means they remain without an away victory in the top-flight this season (D2, L4). They will therefore be thrilled to return to the WWK Arena, where Augsburg have accumulated 14 of their 16 points (W4, D2, L1), while a current five-game unbeaten streak (W4, D1) across all competitions counts as their joint-longest run without losing on home soil since February 2018![/p]
[p]The history books cast doubt over that record continuing though, given opponents Bayer Leverkusen have lost just one of the previous 13 away league H2Hs (W8, D4). The visitors also head into this fixture having put their inconsistent start to the campaign long behind them, thanks to a superb run of six successive victories across all competitions, the most recent of those was a terrific last-gasp 1-0 home win over Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League.[/p]
[p]Manager Xabi Alonso described that result as “well deserved,” but it is on the road where his side have particularly excelled. The defending Bundesliga champions have not lost an away match in the top flight since May 2023 (W17, D6), and a further success in this game would see Leverkusen, at least temporarily, move back into second place in the table with Eintracht Frankfurt not playing until Sunday.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Augsburg defender Keven Schlotterbeck has a patchy record in H2Hs, helping his side keep only one clean sheet in ten meetings with Bayer (W4, L6), with a 5-0 reversal last season the joint-heaviest loss of his career. Bayer Leverkusen’s Álex Grimaldo will be hoping that run continues, and he won 11 of the 13 games in which he has scored for the club (D1, L1).[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Ahead of this round, Bayer Leverkusen have scored a Bundesliga-high 19 first half goals this season.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Matt Jones[/i][/p]