The fact that Hoffenheim are still unbeaten this season and currently lie three points ahead of Bayer 04, "says a lot about their quality," as Roger Schmidt added: "TSG are clearly doing a lot right. They often choose the tactic of playing five at the back with a lot of disciplined and defensively oriented players ensuring stability. They are quick at switching play and invest a lot of energy. In addition, they have found a target player in Sandro Wagner who perfectly suits their game."
For Roger Schmidt that is no reason at all to divert from his own plans. "We want to carry on against Hoffenheim where we left off in the Champions League against Tottenham Hotspur: The key element is improving on the discrepancy between effort and reward. On top of all the attractive football we want to score goals and, above all, win. To do that we need to be very focused in front of goal and discover the fun of scoring."
In terms of personnel available for Saturday, Schmidt spoke about a number of question marks. Hakan Calhanoglu, who went off at half-time against Tottenham due to a back problem, is "still feeling pain. It's looking negative for him. I don't want to make a final decision a moment but it's not looking good." Captain Lars Bender, was after the UCL match, according to Schmidt "shattered. The day off will have done him good. We'll see on Friday how he's feeling." The same applies to Stefan Kießling who "played over 90 minutes for the first time in a long while. We'll have to wait and see how he's recovered." Striker Chicharito is suffering with a cold and he too is a doubt.
Info for the fans
With the exception of the visitors section, Bayer 04 are expecting a sell-out at the BayArena for the match against Hoffenheim. Ticket offices will be open on the day of the game. For the fourth time on Saturday, Werkself fans will also be able to enjoy highly reduced ticket prices and a wide range of events: Bayer 04 invites supporters to the home match against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim for a family day, again presented by health partner pronova BKK.
A new look and new kit supplier for the 2025/26 campaign: Bayer 04 in tandem with sports equipment manufacturer New Balance present the official kit for the Leverkusen eSports players the coming season. New partner Sinology appears on the top right of the jersey. Menswear outfitters Lerros is still the main eSports sponsor and Niedax remains the sleeve partner. The jersey is available now from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt.
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Bosnia U19 international Kerim Alajbegovic is moving from Bayer 04 Leverkusen's youth set-up to Red Bull Salzburg. The talented attacking midfielder has signed a long-term contract with the Austrian club. At the same time, the works club secured a buy-back option for the 17-year-old, who was one of the mainstays of the Leverkusen U19s.
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Preparations for the 2025/26 season at Bayer 04 start next Monday, 7 July, with the first team and youth players training together. Without the international players who were involved with their national teams at the end of last season, new head coach Erik ten Hag will welcome a group of senior and youth players to the first open training session one week ahead of the departure to the training camp in Rio de Janeiro. After the official welcome in the dressing room, the Werkself players will start the session in the shadow of the BayArena on 7 July at 14:00 CEST.
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The Werkself are away to Premier League club Chelsea in the final pre-season friendly. The game against the current holders of the UEFA Conference League is on Friday, 8 August at Stamford Bridge with the kick-off at 20:00 CEST. Read on for information on ticket sales.
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