Bayer Leverkusen boss Kasper Hjulmand said his team are approaching their next Bundesliga match against Hoffenheim with “fire and energy” after their midweek postponement.
Leverkusen was due to play Hamburg at the Volksparkstadion on Tuesday, but the match was postponed shortly before kick-off due to concerns about weather conditions.
And their lack of action gave this weekend’s opponents the opportunity to pip them into fifth place after both played 16 games.
The difference between Leverkusen in sixth and second-placed Borussia Dortmund is only seven points, while runaway leaders Bayern Munich are already eighteen points ahead of Hjulmand’s team.
In Werkself’s first league match of 2026, they were beaten 4-1 by Stuttgart and Hjulmand revealed his players are doing everything they can to get their first win of the new year.
“We have no problems with a situation like this. It is still a busy week, so we are very familiar with it,” Hjulmand told reporters.
“We can only look forward positively and the postponed match has given us all the more fire, energy and anticipation. Hoffenheim is without a doubt a great opponent.”
“They have developed very well and they have proven that time and time again from match to match. That is also a clear sign of good coaching work.”
Where we are halfway… pic.twitter.com/uo5fxp7gW5
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) January 15, 2026
But Hjulmand acknowledged the difficulties his team would face against Hoffenheim, despite only a point and place separating them in the table.
Hoffenheim has turned PreZero Arena into a fortress of late. They have won their last five home games in the Bundesliga, having previously lost five in a row.
It is their longest consecutive home game since 2021 (also five), and this is the first time they have scored at least three goals in five consecutive top-flight home games.
“Just like in the match against Stuttgart, we can expect a lot of one-on-one moments, a lot of duels and high pressure – especially in the centre,” Hjulmand warned.
“This will result in little rhythm in the game, but many spaces to run into.”
Special mention can also be made of Bundesliga stalwart Andrej Kramaric, who scored a hat-trick in Hoffenheim’s recent big win against Gladbach.
“I know him very well. We also played with Denmark against Croatia,” said Hjulmand. “He’s a great player.
“It’s not just him. It’s mainly about the way they play together as a team. We have trained well. Results come with the process.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Hoffenheim – Andrej Kramaric
At the age of 34 years and 209 days on the final matchday, Kramaric became the third oldest player to score a hat-trick in the Bundesliga this millennium, after Claudio Pizarro (37 years, 151 days) and Martin Max (35 years, nine days).
He now has 132 goals in the Bundesliga – just one shy of Giovane Elber in third place among all-time foreign top scorers in Bundesliga history, but behind Robert Lewandowski (312) and Pizarro (197).
34y 209d – At 34 years and 209 days, Andrej Kramaric became the third oldest player to score a hat-trick in the Bundesliga this millennium, after Claudio Pizarro (37 years and 151 days) and Martin Max (35 years and 9 days). Goldie. pic.twitter.com/PXvbqhB7MO
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) January 15, 2026
Bayer Leverkusen – Patrik Schick
Schick was involved in more goals against Hoffenheim than any other opponent in the Bundesliga (nine – six goals, three assists).
In his last league match, he scored his 70th Bundesliga goal for Leverkusen, surpassing Dimitar Berbatov as the Werkself’s all-time foreign top scorer in the top flight.
MATCH PREDICTION: HOFFENHEIM WIN
Despite being favored by Opta’s supercomputer simulations, Hoffenheim have suffered more home defeats against Leverkusen in the Bundesliga than against any other team (11).
But Christian Ilzer’s team is enjoying their second best top season with 30 points after sixteen games. They only had more (34) at this stage of their debut campaign in 2008-09.
Hoffenheim have also lost just one of their last ten Bundesliga games (W7 D2 L1), with only Bundesliga leaders Bayern (29) taking more points than them (23) since MD7.
Leverkusen, meanwhile, have lost three of their last five Bundesliga matches (W2 L3), as many defeats as in their previous 20 top-flight matches combined.
Their last match against Stuttgart was the second time this season that they lost by three or more goals in the Bundesliga (1-4 against Stuttgart, 0-3 against Bayern), something that has not happened to them once in the previous two seasons.
And expect plenty of action in the final third between these two sides. Hoffenheim and Leverkusen have both scored 34 goals in the Bundesliga this season. Only Bayern (66) and Eintracht Frankfurt (35) have scored more.
OPTA CHANCE OF WINNING
Hoffenheim – 41.2%
Draw – 24.1%
Bayer Leverkusen – 34.7%
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