According to head coach Peter Bosz, the fitness of his players is of great significance looking at the forthcoming fixtures. "Energy is very important for the way we play. We need that energy to be successful at the end of the season. After the shutdown due to coronavirus, all teams are finding it difficult to get into a rhythm. That's true. But we're doing well on that front," said the Dutchman at the virtual pre-match press conference.
Behind closed doors at the Veltins Arena on Sunday night, the Werkself will be looking to build on the impressive performance in the DFB Cup semi-final at FC Saarbrücken (3-0). Schalke have not won in the Bundesliga since 17 January and have only picked up one point from five games since the Bundesliga restart. "It's difficult to say what we'll face. Schalke in the second half of the season are very different to the Schalke from the first half of the season," said Bosz, whose team were two points behind the Royal Blues at the winter break and are now 18 points ahead. "It's clear that confidence is lacking at the moment. But they have nothing much else to lose."
Bosz, who always focuses on his own team in the build up to a match, will have to manage with at least two players against Schalke 04: Skipper Lars Bender is still sidelined through injury. Karim Bellarabi is also ruled out for the away game at Schalke. The winger picked up a thigh injury in the cup semi-final on Tuesday. Bosz explained: "I haven't got a full diagnosis as yet. His thigh tightened in the cup game. In the moment, I can't say whether he will be able to play in the next three weeks."
In addition, Exequiel Palacios missed today's training session due to illness. Kai Havertz was back on the training ground with the squad this morning. "But we only did light training this morning. We have to be careful and I can't say anything definite about Kai," said Bosz about yesterday's birthday boy.
The race for a Champions League slot is in full swing. Before Bayer 04 kick-off in Gelsenkirchen, Champions League rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach play FC Bayern on Saturday night (kick-off:18.30 CET). "When you see a direct rival like Gladbach are playing away in Munich then that might offer the opportunity to go ahead of them. But there's no point at looking what they do if we don't beat Schalke," declared Bosz.
Match information:
Broadcasters: Sky and Werkself Radio (bayer04.de)
Referee: The referee will be announced on the day of the game.
The Leverkusen eSports team played the remaining three of the six matches in the online preliminary round of the fourth showdown in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. RB Leipzig and SC Freiburg were among the teams with the highest goal threat, including two World Cup participants in their ranks. Although the #B04eSports players were defeated in the matches overall, nine points from the first three games last week were enough for Leverkusen to advance to the offline round in Berlin on 2 February.
Show more
A decisive showdown awaits: The Werkself are aiming to progress to the play-off round of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League with a home win against Villarreal CF on the eighth and final matchday of the league phase. Ahead of the match on Wednesday, 28 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the importance of the game, the possible return of Edmond Tapsoba and a statement from new signing Jonas Omlin in an exclusive interview with Werkself TV. Lucas Vázquez, for his part, spoke about his role on and off the pitch as well as tomorrow’s opponents, who he often faced in Spain with Real Madrid.
Show more
For Villarreal CF, the match at Bayer 04 on Wednesday, 28 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), will be their last appearance on the European stage this season. The Spanish side, currently fourth in La Liga, are still without a win in the UEFA Champions League and, with just one point from their seven games so far, have no chance of making the play-offs. The 2021 Europa League winners can therefore play without any pressure at the BayArena and will be looking to bow out of the competition with a good performance. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen will to have manage without forward Eliesse Ben Seghir. The Morocco international suffered a ligament injury in his left ankle before the AFCON final defeat against Senegal (0-1 a.e.t.).
Show more
The VBL Club Championship 2025/26 continues. Tonight, 27 January (live on Twitch and on the Bayer 04 app from 18:00 CET), the Leverkusen eSports team will play the remaining three matches in the online preliminary round of Showdown Four. They are up against FC Kaiserslautern, SC Freiburg and the current club champions and Showdown Three winners RB Leipzig, with whom Bayer 04, club runners-up and Showdown One winners, shared some memorable moments, especially last year. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
