The current situation: Thanks to the brilliant 6-1 victory over direct rivals Eintracht Frankfurt, the fourth German Champions League spot is within reach for the Werkself with two games to play – last weekend Bayer 04 drew level with Eintracht. The Bosz Boys are just three goals worse off in terms of goal difference. In the race for the Champions League, the Werkself have the opportunity on Saturday afternoon to move ahead of rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach (at Nürnberg), Wolfsburg (at Stuttgart) and Hoffenheim (against Werder Bremen) – and Eintracht play Mainz 05 on Sunday due to their Europa League semi-final second leg tie tonight. "I don't know if Frankfurt will be under pressure if we win on Saturday. That could be the case. At least we know we have to win the next two games. And I think that's pressure," explained the Werkself head coach.All
The head coach on the match: "We want to produce another top performance. We did that against Frankfurt last weekend and now we have to do it again against Schalke. We need a home win," said Peter Bosz ahead of the home match against the Royal Blues who have had to worry about relegation for much of the campaign. Last season's league runners-up finally secured their top-flight status last weekend. "Huub Stevens has done it again," said Bosz in praising his fellow Dutchman and coach who saved VfB Stuttgart from relegation in 2014 and 2015. "Now they can play without being under pressure. I don't want to think about whether that's good for us or not as I don't know. What I do know is how we have to play and what we have to do again Schalke," added the 55-year-old. The Werkself head coach prefers to focus on Leverkusen's performance and the game. "Our way of playing has changed somewhat over the past few months – not that we're playing offensively but how. The opposition know that so we have to adjust our game a bit each time. That will also be the case against Schalke." At the press conference, Peter Bosz spoke about the signing of Kerem Demirbay. "We're very happy he's joining us for next season. He's a very good player. He's shown that in the Bundesliga last few years," said the coach.
Team news: Karim Bellarabi (thigh), Joel Pohjanpalo (ankle), Leon Bailey (thigh) and Panos Retsos (toe) are again sidelined for the game against Schalke. Sven Bender, who came off against Frankfurt on 60 minutes due to an ankle problem, and Jonathan Tah, who missed training on Wednesday due to a cold, are now both fit.
The previous meeting: Ahead of kick-off in the previous meeting at the stadium in Gelsenkirchen there was a very emotional atmosphere due to the end of coal mining in the area before the Werkself and Schalke 04 produced a hard-fought encounter for much of the Wednesday night game. It was clear to see with both teams that there was a lack of confidence plus insecurity due to respective disappointing first halves of the season. After early attacks from the hosts, the Werkself gained a foothold in the game and took the lead on the half-hour mark with a tap-in from Aleksandar Dragovic (28'). Shortly after that, Lucas Alario doubled the lead with an impressive shot on the turn (35'). In the second half the Royal Blues attempted to get back into the game but were unable to score more than a consolation goal through Haji Wright against a solid Werkself defence. With the third away win of the season, Bayer 04 moved up to tenth place and were back in touch with the top spots.
