Bayer Leverkusen boss Kasper Hjulmand urged his team not to be naive about the challenge Union Berlin will pose in their upcoming Bundesliga match on Saturday.
Leverkusen sit sixth in the top flight and are three points behind Stuttgart in the last spot of the top four after their 4-0 thrashing of St. Pauli in their last league match.
Hjulmand’s side also made a perfect start to the Champions League play-off against Olympiacos, falling 2-0 behind at the Stadio Georgios Karaiskaki on Wednesday.
That result indeed won Leverkusen their first-ever Champions League knockout match. Before that, the German side had lost seven of their previous nine knockout matches on the road, while the other two were drawn.
And Hjulmand hopes the momentum from their midweek victory will stand them in good stead before they make the trip to Stadion An der Alten Forsterei to take on 10th-placed Union.
“Today is matchday +2 and matchday -1, so we will have more of a tactical session, but this time on the pitch,” Hjulmand said about the preparations for the Leverkusen match.
“It’s mainly about our structure, our positioning and the differences between Olympiacos and Union.
“They play a lot of long balls, fight a lot of duels and are similar in their press. We are not naive and will be alert, but we will continue to concentrate on our game and our approach.”
The capital awaits! pic.twitter.com/cX8uQH5ccL
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) February 20, 2026
Leverkusen’s return to form has coincided with the returns of Edmond Tapsoba, Robert Andrich and Jarell Quansah from their respective injury problems.
In Leverkusen’s last seven games in all competitions they have conceded just two goals, with Loic Bade also key to that run, which started on January 24.
“He brings so much positive energy to the team, even in the Olympiacos dressing room,” Hjulmand added.
“Of course he wants to play and he is ready, but he is also a real team player. His qualities are great, we trust him completely.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Union Berlin – Leopold Querfeld
Leopold Querfeld is ready for his 50th appearance in the Bundesliga. He recently scored in consecutive Bundesliga games for the first time, scoring as many goals as he had in his first 47 appearances combined (two in each).
Since their promotion to the top flight, only Max Kruse has scored more penalties in all competitions in a single season for Union in the 2020/21 season (five) than Querfeld has so far (four).
Bayer Leverkusen – Patrik Schick
Patrik Schick scored 71 goals in the Bundesliga for Leverkusen – just one fewer than Herbert Waas (72) who became the third highest scorer of all time for the Werkself in the top flight.
In his last away match at the Stadion An der Alten Forsterei, Schick scored the winning goal in a 2-1 victory in November 2024, and he will be keen to repeat that performance here.
MATCH PREDICTION: BAYER LEVERKUSEN WIN
After back-to-back defeats, Leverkusen are currently unbeaten in their last four Bundesliga matches (W3 D1) – only Borussia Dortmund (15) and Hamburg (five) have longer active runs in the competition. During this period, Hjulmand’s side conceded just two goals, fewer than any other team in the last four matchdays.
Leverkusen has also scored sixteen goals in the first thirty minutes of Bundesliga matches this season, with only Bayern Munich scoring more (21). Meanwhile, Union only conceded four goals in the opening thirty minutes, while only Dortmund conceded fewer (three).
Last time they scored three-man goals against St. Pauli, equaling a club record in a single Bundesliga match since data collection began in 2004-05. However, they now face a Berlin team who have won the second most aerial duels in the competition (496, Mainz 498).
However, Berlin have won just one of their thirteen Bundesliga games against Leverkusen, a 1-0 win at home in January 2021. Since then, they are winless in ten league games against the Werkself (D5 L5) – this is their second-longest current winless streak against a top flight side, after thirteen games against Bayern.
Steffen Baumgart’s side are also winless in their last seven Bundesliga games (D4 L3), a streak they last had at the turn of the year 2024-2025 (10 games). With two points from five matchdays, Union is experiencing the weakest start to the second half of the season in the Bundesliga.
Furthermore, Union have won just one of their seven Bundesliga home games (W1 D4 L2) since the start of November 2025 – the joint fewest in the league in this period, along with Heidenheim and Werder Bremen.
OPTA CHANCE OF WINNING
Union Berlin – 33.2%
Draw – 26.8%
Bayer Leverkusen – 40%
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