Bundesliga preview: Leverkusen look to bounce back

Bayer Leverkusen will look to bounce back from two defeats in a row when they take on Augsburg on Saturday in the Bundesliga.

Leverkusen have not won in four matches, including a 3-1 loss to Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday and a 1-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

Leverkusen’s main weakness this season has been in front of goal, having only hit the back of the net 28 times in 21 games, which is worse than 12th-placed Cologne and 13th-placed Mainz.

Swiss striker Eren Derdiyok is the club’s top scorer in the Bundesliga with just six goals, while Stefan Kiebling, Bayer’s main forward, has scored only four goals in 15 games.

Bayer are sixth on the Bundesliga table and have 31 points, but need a win to ensure they are still in the European places at the end of the weekend, with Hannover just behind on goal difference.

Augsburg, Leverkusen’s visitors on Saturday, are second-bottom with 18 points, including only one win on the road this season.

A victory for Augsburg could take them above the relegation spots if Hertha Berlin lose and Kaiserslautern fail to win.

Hertha host league leaders Dortmund, while Kaiserslautern are also at home where they will face third-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Dortmund lost to Hertha when the Berlin-based club travelled west on September 10, but the reigning champions have won five straight in the Bundesliga heading into this weekend’s fixture.

Moenchengladbach, who have not lost in seven games, could draw level at the top of the table if they win and Dortmund lose, although that hypothetical would open the door for Bayern Munich who are just two points behind the top team and take on bottom-placed Freiburg on Saturday.

Schalke, the other club still within touching distance of Dortmund, host Wolfsburg on Sunday.

It is the first of two evenly-matched games on Sunday, with ninth-placed Stuttgart travelling north to take on Hannover, who are seventh.

In other matches this week, Hoffenheim and Mainz are in action on Friday, while on Saturday, Hamburg host Bremen and Cologne will play Nurnberg.