Preview: Bayer Leverkusen vs Augsburg - prediction, team news, lineups

Bayer Leverkusen will hope that a win against visitors Augsburg at Bay Arena on Saturday will be enough to close the four-point gap to the Bundesliga's top four.

The fifth-placed hosts have 52 points following their 1-0 victory against Borussia Dortmund on April 11, whereas Augsburg held Hoffenheim to a 2-2 stalemate a day earlier and are in 10th place with 33 points.

Match preview

Leverkusen's win against Dortmund was somewhat fortuitous given their opponents missed a number of opportunities in the middle of the box, and they only claimed three points due to Robert Andrich's long-range strike late in the first half.

With just five matchweeks remaining, Die Schwarzroten cannot afford many costly slipups if they have ambitions of securing Champions League football, especially as they still have to face Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and Stuttgart before the end of the season.

Manager Kasper Hjulmand's side appear to have found some consistency in the Bundesliga considering their triumph against Dortmund was their second consecutive league win, and it was also their seventh top-flight game unbeaten.

The club rank second over the last five Bundesliga matchweeks for goals (14), but their record of 10 goals conceded ranks them joint 10th.

Leverkusen ended a streak of four draws in a row at home when they beat Wolfsburg 6-3 on April 4, but though they have not often won at Bay Arena recently, they are undefeated in nine clashes at the ground.

Augsburg should have taken three points from Hoffenheim, and they would have had they not squandered numerous golden opportunities in the final third, though their defence will have questions to answer given they failed to maintain a 2-0 lead.

The visitors have now drawn their past two games, but they are still winless in five matches, a period in which they were beaten three times.

Manuel Baum's side conceded on 12 occasions in those five clashes, while they only found the back of the net six times.

Augsburg won 2-0 at home in the reverse fixture against Leverkusen in December 2025, but that was the only time in their last five meetings with the hosts that they avoided defeat.

Fuggerstadter have lost three of their five most recent away matches, winning just once in that stretch, and they were also beaten in six of their prior eight games on their travels.

Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga form:

Bayer Leverkusen form (all competitions):

Augsburg Bundesliga form:

Team News

Leverkusen have some doubts Jarell Quansah's fitness, and if he cannot recover from a muscle injury, then Robert Andrich, Loic Bade and Edmond Tapsoba may be trusted in central defence.

Exequiel Palacios and Aleix Garcia started against Dortmund, and there is little reason to doubt their inclusion in midfield this weekend.

With forward Martin Terrier injured, Nathan Tella and Ibrahim Maza could continue playing in supportive roles behind number nine Patrik Schick.

Augsburg only have two injury concerns, though the potential absence of centre-backs Chrislain Matsima and Jeffrey Gouweleeuw may prove problematic.

Arthur Chaves, Keven Schlotterbeck and Cedric Zesiger are candidates to feature in a back three, but the trio will need protection from Robin Fellhauer and Fabian Rieder in midfield if they are to keep Leverkusen at bay.

Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:

Flekken; Andrich, Bade, Tapsoba; Culbreath, Palacios, Garcia, Grimaldo; Maza, Tella; Schick

Augsburg possible starting lineup:

Dahmen; Chaves, Schlotterbeck, Zesiger; Wolf, Fellhauer, Rieder, Giannoulis; Kade, Claude-Maurice; Gregoritsch