Ahead of the run-in and the important game against the Royal Blues, who are just three points ahead, Peter Bosz has used the past few quiet days, to enable "several players to wind down so that they are fit and fresh for the next games. We've worked well."
A new pitch has been laid at the BayArena in the last week – that means the Werkself play Schalke on a completely new surface. "We are a team who like to have possession and get forward quickly with few touches of the ball so it’s incredibly important that we have a good pitch. We trained on the new pitch yesterday and first impressions were good," said the head coach.
Another good precondition for the home game is last Saturday’s sensational victory in Munich that still resonates: "The team showed they can only play possession football but also work well against the ball, be quick in transition and very dangerous with the pace shown getting forward," said Bosz. He has been particularly impressed by the battling quality of his team. "We were lucky too – without doubt – but we showed character and mentality. And we also need to show that against Schalke 04. We know it won't be an easy game. But we want to win – particularly at home!"
Schalke 04, of all the current Bundesliga teams, have only collected fewer points against FC Bayern (0.8) than they have against the Werkself (1.1) and are currently third in the table – "if you're at the top after 13 games then you must have done a lot of things right," said the Dutchman who rightly pointed out that Bayer 04 would draw level on points at the weekend with a win. The route to the target is: Play quick passes, manage with a few touches the ball and have good positional play. As "Schalke are a team that plays with aggression and tries to constantly press the ball. We won't have long on the ball."
Bosz has all the players at his disposal who were available for the game against FC Bayern with the exception of the suspended Jonathan Tah. Only Mitchell Weiser and Joel Pohjanpalo are still ruled out through injury.
Match info:
Referee: Harm Osmers
TV broadcaster: Sky
Tickets: Bayer 04 are expecting a capacity crowd at the BayArena
Bayer 04 and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer have shown great commitment to the community as the sale of custom-designed T-shirts for charity in the Fanwelt as part of the “BarmeniaGothaer Brings Joy campaign raised a good €5,000. Bayer 04 matched this sum with an equal contribution. As a result, a total of €10,000 was presented to Edmond Tapsoba for his foundation ahead of the home match against Hamburg. The foundation supports people facing challenging daily circumstances in his home country of Burkina Faso.
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Bayer 04 host Hamburg at the BayArena for the first time since September 2017 on the final day of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season on Saturday (15:30 CEST). HSV are safe in their first campaign back in the top flight after back-to-back wins, but Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last 19 games against promoted teams as they go for the victory they need to have a chance to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. There’s also heavy discounts on food and drinks at the BayArena. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 34 fixture in our matchday news.
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As well as previously confirmed departures, Bayer 04 Women will also say goodbye to Vanessa Haim and Shen Menglu before Sunday’s final game of the season at home to Werder Bremen as the pair leave Leverkusen upon the expiration of their contracts.
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The last competitive match of the 2025/26 season takes place at the BayArena on Saturday 16 May (kick-off 15:30 CEST), where Hamburger SV are the visitors. At the pre-match press conference, head coach Kasper Hjulmand discussed the mindset and the approach for the crucial final game against HSV, among other topics.
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