FC Augsburg welcome Bayer Leverkusen to the WWK Arena on 12 September 2026 for Matchweek 3 of the Bundesliga. Augsburg sit top after two commanding victories producing seven goals and just one conceded, whereas Leverkusen arrive seventh following a mixed start under their new coach. Augsburg want to back up their early results with a third win, while Leverkusen need a result to steady things and whether their first choice group can sustain this without an injured quartet is the question Manuel Baum has to answer tonight.
The two managers have never faced each other, which means neither has prior data on the other to work from. Baum took the job permanently in May 2026 after replacing Sandro Wagner, while Carles Martínez Novell arrived at Leverkusen in June 2026 following Kasper Hjulmand's departure. Their form lines could not be more different: Augsburg beat Schalke 04 3-0 on 30 August and demolished Eintracht Frankfurt 4-1 on 6 September, with the same pattern across both of early control, clinical finishing from multiple sources and a compact shape that left opponents with very few clear chances. Leverkusen lost to Elversberg in August before thrashing Union Berlin 4-0 on 5 September and while those four goals suggested the structure at home is starting to click, the earlier defeat showed they can be opened up, a question that now travels with them to Augsburg.
Augsburg are without Mounié (unspecified problem), Breithaupt (toe injury) and Suso (torn muscle fibre), with Kade a further doubt after a muscle problem, forcing Baum to lean heavily on the same attacking movement that produced seven goals in two games. Arijon Ibrahimovic has been excellent in both matches and will need to carry more of the creative load, while goalkeeper Finn Dahmen should expect to be busy given the volume of shots Leverkusen tend to generate. Leverkusen are also navigating uncertainty, with Guéla Doué and Martin Terrier both doubts and the club's South American contingent facing availability questions that complicate Martínez Novell's planning. Patrik Schick is fit and in good form, carrying a scoring streak and high shot volume, making him the likeliest scorer and the one Augsburg's centre backs will need to track all night.
Augsburg press aggressively early at home, looking to exploit space behind opposition full backs and Ibrahimovic's ability to drift between the lines creates constant problems for opposing midfielders. The overall defensive structure has held firm, though Dahmen's workload across the first two games suggests the backline does get stretched. Martínez Novell's side scored four and conceded one across their two matches, productive but not clean and the defeat to Elversberg showed they can be opened up. Schick's movement and finishing will test Augsburg's centre backs, especially if the hosts push high and leave space in behind and if Augsburg win the ball high up, Ibrahimovic's movement between the lines could punish that directly. Augsburg must redistribute attacking responsibility across a narrower group while Leverkusen need to cover the roles Doué and Terrier would have filled and in a game this tight on personnel, those adjustments may matter more than the tactical plan itself.
Leverkusen have the far better historical record, winning roughly 19 times to Augsburg's 4 across more than 30 meetings, though recent history belongs to the hosts: Augsburg completed a league double over Leverkusen in 2025/26 with a 2-0 home win and a 2-1 away victory, giving them confidence despite the long term imbalance in the series. With personnel questions affecting both sides, set pieces could prove more decisive than usual. Goals have been spread across at least three different players in Augsburg's opening two games, which makes their dead ball delivery harder to zonal mark and the hosts arrive on the back of two strong performances.
We're going with Augsburg 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen. The absences are the decisive factor: losing Kade, Mounié, Breithaupt and Suso in one go narrows Augsburg's attacking options considerably, even if the players available have been excellent so far. Schick arrives in form and with high shot volume, meaning Leverkusen don't need to be dominant to score and the 4-0 win over Union Berlin showed this side can finish clinically when transitions open up. Augsburg will probably get a goal, either through a moment of individual quality or from a dead ball but Leverkusen's greater depth should be enough to take a narrow win.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
