Bayer 04 Leverkusen goes to Augsburg on Saturday with the Bundesliga leader across from it and two key absences still hanging over the squad. Nathan Tella and Montrell Culbreath will not be available, while Carles Martínez said the team worked well during the week and arrives with plenty of energy for the third-round match.
That is why Augsburg vs Leverkusen is drawing attention now. Augsburg has six points from two matches and sits first in the Bundesliga for the first time in the club’s history, after opening with a 3-0 win over Schalke 04 and following it with a 4-1 away victory over Eintracht Frankfurt. It has scored seven goals and conceded one, a start that makes this early-season visit a serious test rather than an ordinary away trip.
Martínez did not sound caught up in the standings. He said Augsburg are first, that they deserve it, and that they have been strong both going forward and at the back. He added that Augsburg will be full of confidence at home and that his own side must stay focused, start concentrated and give its maximum. The coach also pointed to Moussa Diaby, saying he trained very well during the week, and left Guéla Doué as an option for the match.
The numbers around the game add to the weight. About 2,000 supporters are expected to follow the Werkself to WWK Arena in Augsburg, where the visitors’ ticket office opens at 8:30 a.m. Brasília time on match day before kickoff at 10:30 a.m. Brasília time. Augsburg’s surge has changed the tone of the meeting, but Bayer 04 still has enough quality and enough support traveling with it to make this a proper early gauge of where the team stands.
Live coverage is set for SportyNet, OneFootball, Sky and WOW, with Werkself-Radio also carrying the match. What happens next is simple: the table leader meets a side trying to manage absences and keep pace, and the first real answer comes when the match starts in Augsburg.
