Schmidt with an eye on Leverkusen: “Want to keep this positive trend going”

After taking four points from their last two matches, FC Augsburg are looking to keep their positive trend going ahead of their upcoming match against Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Saturday, 28th September (15:30 CEST). In the  midst of their ninth Bundesliga season, Augsburg are looking for their first-ever win against Leverkusen, and also have their eye on reaching a special milestone.  FCA have conceded nine goals in their first three matches, but allowed just one in each of their last two matches. “Our defence has become more solid,” said head coach Martin Schmidt. “Now, we want to work on being better with the ball.” Schmidt will likely be able to call upon Daniel Baier for the match against Leverkusen, after the captain was out injured recently. However, the team will not take any risks with him, Schmidt said. It remains to be seen whether or not Marco Richter will feature this weekend, after picking up a knock. The match against Leverkusen is a special one for Tin Jedvaj, as the defender arrived on loan from Leverkusen shortly before the end of the transfer window. Jedvaj made 81 appearances for Leverkusen in five years. Now, the Croatian is set to face his former teammates on Saturday. “He needed game time,” said Schmidt. “He has already made great progress and, just like Felix Uduokhai, is a big talent with a lot of potential.” Schmidt on Bayer: “A lot of quality in attack” However, Schmidt is able to list Leverkusen’s strengths without any special insight from Jedvaj. “In particular, they have a lot of quality in attack,” said the 52-year-old. “They have kept nearly the same squad as they had last season. They know each other well, and this consistency serves them well.” Under head coach Peter Bosz, Leverkusen have been able to improve their play up front, after already having a strong counter-attack. “We cannot be passive against them, otherwise they will outplay us,” Schmidt warned. Despite Leverkusen’s skill, the FCA head coach believes his team have something that will help them against the Champions League side. “If you remain focused and play with courage and spirit, then it’s possible to take something from the game,” said Schmidt. “We want to continue this positive trend.” A win against the Werkself would be a first, as well as marking a milestone for FCA. Augsburg are without a win in 16 matches against Leverkusen (six draws, ten losses). A win would also be Augsburg’s 50th home win in the Bundesliga. However, Schmidt is choosing not to focus to much on the statistics. “We don’t want to make it easy for teams to come here,” he said about the task at hand. “That’s something we want to show every game.” Despite a tough series of upcoming opponents featuring the likes of Leverkusen, Mönchengladbach and Bayern, Schmidt remained firm and added: “We want to have a strong start to October.”