After the 4-3 goal spectacle at FSV Mainz, Bayer Leverkusen expects a much more delicate task in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain.
Leverkusen has lost a lot of energy since their opening defeat football-Bundesliga against Hoffenheim (1:2) no longer lost a game. This has been the case since the third matchday under the direction of Dane Kasper Hjulmand, who replaced coach Erik ten Hag after just two months in office. However, nine competitive games without defeat for the 2024 German champions do not give rise to great euphoria. In the league, Bayer is already seven points behind leaders Bayern Munich after seven games, and in the Champions League the club is under pressure on matchday 3 after two draws.
Dembélé back in the Paris squad after injury
Getting rid of this pressure on Tuesday at home against the title defenders of the premier class from Paris will likely be Hjulmand’s biggest challenge to date as head coach at Bayer. Apart from the 3-1 home win against Eintracht Frankfurt, the team hasn’t really had any tough nuts to crack under his direction. The points collected in the Champions League in Copenhagen (2:2) and against Eindhoven (1:1) could ultimately be too few to qualify for the second round after eight games, let alone the round of 16.
Now it’s against the star ensemble of the Parisians, whose offensive department is likely to pose significantly more problems for the Bayer defense than the Mainz team, against whom Leverkusen already conceded three goals last Saturday. The Rhinelanders are in danger, not least from the bank. Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé will be taking a seat there for the first time since his thigh injury. However, the 28-year-old has not had any match practice since the beginning of September.
One of the best, if not the best team in the world.
Bayer coach Kasper Hjulmand about Paris Saint-Germain
Dembélé could make his first Champions League appearance this season in Leverkusen, but the challenge is big enough even without him. Paris started the premier class with two wins against Atalanta Bergamo (4-0) and FC Barcelona (2-1) and is once again considered one of the top favorites for the title. “We will obviously have to play our absolute best game to have a chance,” Hjulmand said on Tuesday.
Bayer sports director Simon Rolfes also recently emphasized the high quality of the Parisians in the ZDF sports studio, but at the same time sees the home game as an opportunity: “For us, with a young team, it’s a game where we can take a lot away.” Whether Leverkusen can take one or even three points will depend not least on a stable defense.
Hjulmand is two points short of the Champions League
A point or more against Paris was probably planned as an encore after the game plan was announced, but Hjulmand knows that a surprise after the two points shared at the start would be helpful: “Of course I currently have the feeling that we are missing two points from these two games,” the coach said after the draw against Eindhoven with a view to the upcoming opponents. After Paris, there are away games against Benfica Lisbon, Manchester City and Olympiakos Piraeus as well as home games against Newcastle United and, on the last match day, Villarreal.
In terms of personnel, Hjulmand will not be able to draw on full potential against Paris. In addition to the long-term injured Exequiel Palacios and Axel Tape, Malik Tillman, Lucas Vázquez and Nathan Tella are missing. Jonas Hofmann and Martin Terrier, who were recently convincing in Mainz, are not registered for the competition. The deployment of Patrik Schick and Jarell Quansah is still unclear, but they both took part in the final training.
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