Hoeness: "Anything is possible in football"

Sebastian Hoeness on …

… the current situation in the fight for Europe: "It's not in our own hands and we have to take all six points to have any hope of making it into the top seven. Anything is possible in football, as yesterday's Champions League game showed."

… the match on Saturday: "We have to be brave. Leverkusen have been one of the best teams in the second half of the season. They are fighting for the Champions League, and it will take everything we have. But for us, victory is all that matters. Despite the difficult situation, we will try to get the best out of what we have again and will not give up."

… this week in training: "The lads are fully focused and look willing to fight. Everyone knows that our chances aren't great, but it is still possible. We have a duty to do everything we can [to make it into Europe]. It would be terrible if we were only to miss out because we didn't get all six points."

… the question of captaincy: "Andrej Kramarić will keep the captain's armband until the end of the season. Oliver Baumann does everything to get the win. Oli doesn't need the armband to be regarded as a leader. He will continue to do that for me and the team."

… the personnel situation: "Benjamin Hübner, Ermin Bičakčić, Fisnik Asllani, Dennis Geiger, Marco John, Chris Richards and Håvard Nordtveit will be missing due to injury. Florian Grillitsch still has a very slim chance of making it. Ihlas Bebou sat out of team training yesterday, but I expect him to play."

… Ermin Bičakčić: "He's still fighting to be involved. Ermin has been out for a long time and is currently in talks with the club. The club could really use him. A player of his quality would certainly have been good for us over the past two years."

Head-to-head record:

Leverkusen were a bogey team for Hoffenheim for a long time and won 15 of their 27 games with TSG (with six draws and six defeats). However, TSG have lost only one of the past six meetings and improved their head-to-head record by adding two wins and three draws.

The opposition's form:

Thanks to two victories – away at SpVgg Greuther Fürth and at home to Eintracht Frankfurt – coach Gerardo Seoane's team have an excellent chance of qualifying for the Champions League. A win at TSG on Saturday would secure a top-four finish in the Bundesliga.

Match facts and statistics »