Kasper Hjulmand has urged his Bayer Leverkusen team to rediscover their clinical edge ahead of two big games over the next seven days.
Leverkusen are in action in the Bundesliga on Saturday, welcoming Werder Bremen to the BayArena before their final league match against Villarreal in the Champions League.
The Werkself are 20th in the 36-team European standings and know a win will cement their place in the play-off places after a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Olympiakos.
It was Leverkusen’s first Champions League defeat against a side from outside Europe’s big five leagues since losing 3-0 to Porto in October 2022.
But during that game, Leverkusen had chances. They recorded an expected goals total (xG) of 2.58 from their 17 shots, although only six of them were on target.
“We have created a lot of chances, but we have to take advantage of them. That will of course be very important for a result tomorrow,” Hjulmand told reporters.
“With a win and then another win in the Champions League against Villarreal, things would look a lot better again. We have to show character.”
“And I’m confident we can do that. We are motivated.”
BayArena. Finished. pic.twitter.com/tQ9VAJHUMP
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) January 23, 2026
Many of Leverkusen’s problems came early in the games, with Costinha opening the scoring for Olympiacos in midweek with just 92 seconds on the clock.
“We want and need to put in a performance on the pitch that will give us a win,” Hjulmand added.
“It will be important to get into the game better than last time. We want possession of the ball, a lot of passing, movement.”
“But maybe we should do something different in the first few minutes.”
With the January transfer window coming to an end, Hjulmand was also asked about potential income at the club after a busy summer of activity.
The Leverkusen boss remained coy about any potential new arrivals but was able to provide some insight into his current squad and confirmed he will be without four players on Saturday.
Mark Fleken, Nathan Tella, Edmond Tapsoba and Eliesse Ben Seghir are all unavailable, although Hjulmand announced that Exequiel Palacios was suitable for selection.
Palacios has missed the last four months with an adductor injury.
“Our team has a lot of quality and talent. I will discuss the rest with Simon Rolfes as usual,” Hjulmand said about dealing with Leverkusen’s absentees.
“Pala is a lion in a cave. He brings a lot of emotion and experience. His return and his infectious character will give the team a boost.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Bayer Leverkusen-Aleix Garcia
If any of the Leverkusen players could take any credit after the loss to Olympiacos, it would certainly be Aleix Garcia, who impressed at Stadio Georgios Karaiskaki.
The Spaniard finished with team-high totals for touches (140), accurate passes (107), passes into the final third (34) and interceptions (four).
Werder Bremen-Romano Schmid
Romano Schmid has five assists in the Bundesliga this season, surpassing his tally from the entire previous Bundesliga season (four).
In the entire competition, only Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise has created more big chances for his teammates (18) than Schmid (11).
He has also scored more Bundesliga goals against Bayer Leverkusen than any other side (three), scoring in each of his last three games against them.
MATCH PREDICTION: BAYER LEVERKUSEN WINS
Bremen have won just one of their last eleven Bundesliga meetings with the Werkself (D6 L4), although that victory came in their last away match at Leverkusen in March 2025 (2-0).
However, consecutive Bundesliga victories for Bremen away at Leverkusen have only been achieved once before: between 2007 and 2008 (two victories under Thomas Schaaf).
But both sides need a win. Bremen recently went seven Bundesliga matches in a row without a win (D3 L4). This is the longest active streak among the current top teams and Werder’s longest streak since February to April 2024 (also seven).
Leverkusen, meanwhile, has lost four of its last six Bundesliga games (W2 D0 L4), having lost as many in the previous 43 league matches. Since matchday 12, no other team has lost as many Bundesliga matches as Hjulmand’s team (four).
Moreover, Leverkusen, together with St. Pauli, are the only two teams that have not taken a single point in the Bundesliga in 2026 (two games each). The Werkself have also started a calendar year for the first time since 2004 with two defeats in the Bundesliga.
And many of Leverkusen’s problems come from a known source. This season they have already conceded twelve goals from set pieces in the Bundesliga, while only Köln have conceded more (17).
OPTA CHANCE OF WINNING
Bayer Leverkusen – 56.8%
Draw – 21.9%
Werder Bremen – 21.3%
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